Meet the Kilcher family, who live off the land in the frontier wilderness of southern Alaska. The Kilchers maintain a subsistence lifestyle with few modern conveniences.

The Kilchers prepare for winter's first snow storm; Atz Sr. leads a herd of cattle across glacial rivers.

The storms hit earlier than expected; search for a newborn calf and its mother; Otto builds shelter for his herd.

The extended Kilcher family struggle to get through a record-breaking harsh winter; desperate for food, Atz Lee and Jane venture onto the ice to try fishing; patriarchs Otto and Atz embark on a dangerous mission to bring aid to a fellow homesteader.

Spring finally arrives on the homestead; Eivin mills lumber, builds a large chicken house from scratch and helps wife Eve take out a rogue cannibal hen; desperate for food, Jane goes fishing for king salmon solo while husband Atz Lee hunts for black bear.

Otto and family battle the elements and predators to drive their cattle to summer pasture; a missing calf causes Otto and Eivin to head off for a dangerous late night rescue mission.