Plot Synopsis

The Hughes, Galt and Stucky families own and operate cattle ranches in Montana, where they must endure freak storms, deadly outbreaks of disease, hungry predators and forest fires that threaten their livelihood. Each family approaches ranching in a vastly different way, but they all rely on family bonds and personal strength to keep this tradition of the American West alive. The Hughes family operates the smallest of the three ranches featured on the show, and they manage their herd of 500 Black Angus by themselves on a 12,000-acre ranch. The Galt Ranch is one of the largest ranches in the state -- over 100,000 acres, 5500 cattle and 100 horses -- and it's so vast that owner Bill Galt manages it from the sky in his own helicopter. The Stuckys are traditional ranchers, choosing to do most of the work by hand, and will pass down this tradition through the generations as the ranch continues to grow and expand.