The adventures of the Cartwright family, headed by patriarch Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene), and his three sons from three wives; Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts), Eric "Hoss" Cartwright (Dan Blocker), and Joseph or "Little Joe" (Michael Landon). The family ride herd over the thousand square-mile ranch called the Ponderosa on the edge of the Sierra Nevada range in the 1860's.