On the morning of March 30, 1997, Evelyn set out on horseback with her son Kayce and daughter Beth to help out at the ranch. Her husband John and sons Lee and Jamie had already left early for the ranch. Beth struggled to control her reins, lagging far behind her mother and brother. She was afraid of horses and had no idea how to handle an animal larger than herself. Suddenly, the horse bolted forward, colliding with Evelyn's horse. Startled, Evelyn's horse reared up, throwing her to the ground, and then fell heavily on top of her. Evelyn could feel her ribs piercing her lungs, blood gushing from her mouth and nose. With her last breath, she told Beth to ride and find her father, to make up for her mistake with action.
At the ranch, John saw Evelyn and Kayce's horses returning without their riders. He knew something was wrong and immediately rode home with several ranch hands. On the way, they encountered Beth's horse. Later, Beth, cradling her broken arm and weeping, approached her father. She had lost control of her horse, galloped aimlessly, and eventually fallen off, unable to remember where her mother was. By the time John found Evelyn, it was late at night, and wolves were prowling nearby. Kayce, terrified but determined, stood guard over his mother's body with a small knife, preventing the wolves from getting close. That day became a permanent scar in the hearts of John, Beth, and Kayce.
Today was the anniversary of their mother's death. Jamie received an early morning call from Attorney General Mike, questioning him about the morgue fire. Jamie firmly denied any involvement of the Dutton Ranch and shifted the blame to the coroner with a drug addiction. As soon as he hung up, Jamie looked out the window and saw Beth, still in her pajamas, acting erratically as she walked toward the horse trough. To his shock, she climbed in and began bathing in it.
Beth ignored Jamie's attempts to stop her and paid no attention to the stares of the other cowboys. She glared at the female governor emerging from her father's room, unable to understand why her father would spend the night with another woman on this day. The governor, initially intending to greet Beth, changed her mind upon seeing Beth's hostile gaze and drove straight back to her office. Eventually, Rip persuaded Beth to return indoors to avoid further trouble.
John had spent the night with the governor to numb the pain of the day. After waking up, he focused on finding a solution to the lien issue. Everyone Jamie contacted refused to get involved in tribal disputes, leaving John in a difficult position. However, there was another piece of news: Mike's term was ending, and he had no intention of seeking re-election. Jamie planned to run for attorney general, believing it was the only way to gain a legal advantage. John was still hesitant about his son entering politics. He wanted to find another, faster way to reclaim the ranch's cattle.
John soon took action. While Thomas usually stayed on the reservation, where he held sway, once he left, he was in John's territory. On the day Thomas attended a state government banquet, just after leaving the reservation, he was intercepted by the Montana Livestock Association cavalry. In the cavalry's holding cell, he met John, who had been waiting for him. John's terms were simple: either return the cattle or go to prison.
Thomas, weighing his options, admitted that John had won this round. But he refused to concede defeat. His years of experience in mergers and acquisitions at a securities firm told him that the entire Dutton Ranch was worth $14 billion. He would wait patiently until John passed away. When the children couldn't afford the massive inheritance taxes, it would be the perfect time to acquire the Dutton Ranch. The ultimate victory would still belong to Thomas, and the Dutton legacy would be erased completely.
Thomas wasn't afraid to reveal his plan because John couldn't escape death. But he underestimated the old cowboy. His words made John change his mind—he now saw the necessity of engaging in politics actively to create policies favorable to the Dutton family. However, John had little faith in Jamie, who lacked the grit of a cowboy. He preferred Beth, who was unconventional yet shrewd.
That evening, John invited the Republican leader and campaign manager to the ranch through the governor. Beth, for once, set aside her rebellious demeanor and engaged confidently with the guests, not letting her father down. Feeling sidelined, Jamie was furious. He fought for the family's interests every day, yet this was the treatment he received. In his eyes, Beth was a cancer that would destroy the entire family, just as she had caused their mother's death. Regardless of his father's approval, he decided to run for attorney general. But a campaign required financial support, and the biggest donor was his father. John, understanding his son's intentions, agreed to support Jamie on the condition that he not interfere with Beth's campaign for state legislature.
With the family facing internal and external challenges, a troubled John spent the night in the haystack in the stables. Early the next morning, he walked up the ranch's main road. Livestock trucks were bringing back the cattle from the reservation. John directed the unloading of the cattle, knowing that the war with Thomas had officially begun.
Meanwhile, Kayce, who lived n the reservation, was also facing trouble. He began his pre-reenlistment training in an open field, while his son Tate watched, bored. On their way home, Kayce noticed a suspicious van parked by the roadside and went to investigate. Inside were two kidnappers and an kidnapped Native American girl. When the kidnappers realized they had been discovered, they drove off. Kayce shot one of them dead, then told Tate to hide in a drainage ditch while he pursued the van. The van stalled in a depression, and the other kidnapper fell while fleeing, hitting his head on a rock and dying instantly. Kayce rescued the girl from the back of the van and then returned to find Tate, only to discover that his son had single-handedly killed a two-meter-long rattlesnake.
Kayce knew the girl's father, Danny, as both had served in the military. After returning the girl home, she refused to talk about the kidnapping and firmly opposed calling the police. Left with no other options, they disposed of the kidnappers' bodies and the van to avoid detection. After taking Tate home, Kayce didn't have time to explain everything to Monica before returning to the scene. He and Danny dug a deep pit, burned the kidnappers' bodies, and buried them. The van was dumped into a deep valley.
They thought the matter was over, but a few days later, the girl's mother, unable to cope with the pressure, shot herself. Meanwhile, a mineral exploration team began working near the site where the bodies had been burned.