Eight Army deserters steal horses from the Cartwrights and murder their hired hand, a Paiute Indian. The Cartwrights and their friend Rolf Thorsen track the thieves on skis in order to retrieve the horses and prevent Indian revenge attacks.; An Austrian Baron brings his cattle herd to Ponderosa area. Neighboring ranchers fear the herd may be carrying Texas Tick Fever and want to destroy it.; John "Snowshoe" Thompson's adventures while carrying mail and supplies on skis in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the 1850s.; Five examples of duels in American history. Hamilton vs. Burr; Ogden vs. unidentified man; Bowie vs. Louisiana planter; Deaf Smith vs. Col. Morton; Lincoln (before he became President) vs. James Shields.