Sweet Sixteen

As the new school year begins, Nellie receives a shocking graduation present from her mother. Caroline takes a job at the restaurant when Charles is injured and unable to work. A new teacher arrives in Walnut Grove with a handsome younger brother who catches Laura's eye immediately.

Laura decides that becoming a teacher will convince everyone of her maturity, but first she must pass the graduation exam. She does receive an unexpected offer of help, but in the end, it might just ruin everything.

Albert finds himself unsure of his identity when Miss Wilder assigns the students a family tree project. The trouble is, just as the Ingalls are getting ready to officially adopt him, Albert's long-estranged biological father shows up and demands custody of him.

When Adam wins a prestigious teaching award, he and Mary are invited to accept the honor at a fancy dinner. Without the necessary money to make the long trip, they put the idea out of their minds, but when Laura and Albert decide to donate their savings, Adam and Mary head out on a stagecoach with a pregnant woman named Marge. When a serious accident kills the driver and pins both Adam and Marge underneath the stagecoach, Mary is the only person who might be able to save them. Though she lacks her physical eyesight, she relies on her other senses--as well as the classic Ingalls resourcefulness--to seek help. When a fire erupts and traps Mary, an incredible miracle just might lead Charles to his beloved daughter. Meanwhile, in a hilarious subplot, Laura and Albert con Harriet Oleson into buying their full honey supply--without informing her that the purchase would include some very unwelcome little visitors.

A circus act passes through Walnut Grove, and Nels Oleson is horrified when he spots his estranged sister Annabelle as "the fat lady". Embarrassed by her physical appearance, Nels denies any relation to her. Meanwhile, Laura is unhappy when Almanzo begins dating a rude young woman named Christy.

Reverend Alden begins spending time with the kindly Anna Craig, and the Reverend's spirit is truly glowing as his personal life discovers romance for the very first time. Just as he is about to propose, an unexpected turn of events prompts Anna to break things off. A physical illness eventually brings them back together, but the troubles in their relationship are far from over.

Laura and Albert are very excited about dressing up as Indians for Nellie Oleson's Halloween party, but Caroline won't let them pull this late-nighter without taking a nap first. After falling asleep with a Native American book in his hands, Albert's imagination gets the better of him as he slips into quite an intense dream. All of a sudden, he and Laura have been captured by Indians, and with the tribe in possession of some threatening weapons, these two kids must become part of a very dangerous game.

Isaiah Edwards narrowly saves his daughter Alicia from a falling tree, but not without being crushed himself. Unsure of how to bring him back around, his wife Grace writes to Charles for help. Things eventually get a little better when Charles and Laura arrive for a visit, but Isaiah has a secret that nobody else knows - and it could destroy his relationship with each of them.

Jonathan Garvey is tricked into believing that he is a good wrestler in order to scam the local residents of Walnut Grove, who stand to lose a lot of money on the rigged match. Mrs. Oleson is betting heavily too - with the church funds - for which she is treasurer. An aging former legend has to prove to Jonathan that he has been set up before all his friends lose their bets.

Reverend Edward Danford, a preacher who works as a "faith healer," comes through Walnut Grove with his fascinating concept of overcoming all physical adversities with pure faith in God. As his popularity increases, he decides to stay in town permanently. The trouble is, he is taking more and more parishioners away from Reverend Alden, and the community's growing trust in him proves to be a major mistake.

When Mary becomes pregnant again, Caroline's parents arrange a visit to witness the birth of their great-grandchild. Unfortunately, when her mother dies en route, Caroline is left to deal with her father Frederick, whose world now feels empty and meaningless. Eventually, he discovers a whole new passion in life, but he'll need the help of his entire family to make it possible.

A telephone line is set up in Walnut Grove, which enthralls almost everyone in town. Unfortunately, Harriet Oleson is in charge of the switchboard, which allows her to eavesdrop on as many conversations as she wants. As she uncovers and spreads around some private information about Alice Garvey, it creates serious trouble in Alice's marriage.

A boy named Todd spent much of his childhood being beaten by his alcoholic father. Now Todd is an angry teenager who arrives in Walnut Grove to spend time with his grandparents. He quickly runs into trouble and even lands in jail after stealing, but when Charles begins to sympathize with the boy, he hires him as a farmhand to teach him some values.

A married couple arrive in Walnut Grove with their teenage son Bart, who causes serious trouble the minute he begins school. After bullying the other students and harassing Miss Wilder, the most reasonable solution is to expel him, but the school board can't seem to agree on it, so Miss Wilder decides to pack her bags and leave. Upon realizing that the adults can't control Bart, Laura and Albert take it upon themselves to try and fix things.

Charles and Caroline take a trip to Milwaukee for a school reunion. Although they are both excited to mingle with old friends, they are disappointed to learn what has really become of their former classmates. Meanwhile, Charles also attends a farmers' convention in the same area, where he butts heads with some larger and more stubborn farming establishments.

On a dark and stormy night, Laura is sleeping over at the blind school and spending some quality time with Mary. Trouble strikes when they open the door for a trio of escaped convicts, threatening their lives and all the children in the school.

Eager to sharpen her teaching skills and seem more grown-up, Laura volunteers to tutor a deaf teenager named Daniel, whose widowed father doesn't hold much hope for his son's learning abilities. Everything seems to be going great until Daniel falls for Laura, and she plays along with the romance for all the wrong reasons.

A successful picnic at the blind school leads to sudden tragedy that stuns the community and takes the lives of two important people. As families are torn apart and faith in God is tested, it is sure to be an emotional road to recovery for everyone involved.

A successful picnic at the blind school leads to sudden tragedy that stuns the community and takes the lives of two important people. As families are torn apart and faith in God is tested, it is sure to be an emotional road to recovery for everyone involved.

Almanzo and Eliza Jane are pleasantly surprised to get a visit from their kid brother Perley Day, but after a few days with him, they quickly remember why the boy has been so estranged from the family over the years. Meanwhile, as Laura and Almanzo make progress in their relationship, Charles makes one last attempt to help his daughter find a more age-appropriate love interest.

Fed up with his overbearing wife and his lack of authority over the children, Nels packs up and heads out for an indefinite period of time. While running a mobile mercantile of his own, he stays at a boarding house owned by Molly Reardon, a beautiful Irish woman who gives him the care and respect that he never seemed to have at home. Drawn to Molly's charm and sensitivity, the once-virtuous Nels might be willing to sacrifice his family for this new romance.

When a school in a nearby town is in need of a temporary substitute, 15-year-old Laura finally gets her start as an teacher. As she grows and learns in her career, she also starts gaining the kind of attention she always wanted from Almanzo, but now that their romance is beginning to blossom, there are some other hurdles they must overcome.

Laura is delighted when Almanzo finally proposes, but when Charles insists that they wait two years, Almanzo gives Laura with a painful ultimatum: either run away with him now, or forget the relationship altogether. Meanwhile, an unexpected tragedy puts the future of Mary and Adam's new blind school in jeopardy. Harriet Oleson wants Nellie to finally be trained to to take over the restaurant, but the hiring of Percival Dalton creates more mayhem than anyone imagined.

To keep her mind off Almanzo's extended absence, Laura pitches in with Mary and Adam's new blind school in Sleepy Eye. Meanwhile, in an attempt to conceal a secret from Laura and her family, Almanzo falls dangerously ill. Back in Walnut Grove, Nellie struggles to reveal her true feelings to the one man who has changed her life.