Gray clouds to the northwest mean only one thing-- A blizzard is moments away.... The first terrible storm comes to the barren prairie in October. Then is snows almost without stopping until April. Snow has reached the rooftops, and no trains can get through with food or coal. The people of De Smet are starving, including the Ingalls family, who wonder how they're going to make it through this terrible winter. It is young Almanzo Wilder who finally understands what needs to be done. He must save the town, even if it mean risking his own life.