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Hunt's men return from Chicago training, and he sends recruit Brian there next. A payroll robbery in Utah sparks a long manhunt ending in gunfire, while at home, complications with Beth's pregnancy leave her fearing she may lose the baby, and Hunt wonders if his devotion to the job played a part. Seeking rest, he takes her to Hidden Valley, even as he sends his men to Canon City to investigate murder and claim-jumping, an inquiry that sweeps up several prominent citizens. With Clayton left in charge of the office, disaster strikes, forcing him to ride out and ask Hunt for help.

Hunt's life stays turbulent as Beth endures a difficult birth, doctors warning that internal damage means they should have no more children. Meanwhile, Hunt's men chase a gang toward Utah but arrive too late, and an alarming message from Buzz Sauer reveals a religious group has seized Hidden Valley, driving off Buzz and George's family. Hunt rides out to find Dodd already in a gun battle, a confrontation that turns deadly and exposes the group's delusional leaders, with more followers reportedly on the way. Clayton leads a team to lawless Coulson, Montana, where daily killings and a hostile town await, and he finds himself drawn to a woman despite his refusal to admit his feelings.

Hunt and his men keep chasing killers and fugitives across the territory, while Clayton's budding romance with Sylvia Morales is thrown into chaos when an arrested man claiming to be her husband turns up in Denver. Meanwhile, a cattle drive arriving in Denver raises suspicion when Hunt's men suspect the herd was stolen, a problem made worse by the fact that the cattle are already sold, the men paid, and the sellers long gone.

Hunt sends his men to Arizona after a bank robbery leaves two bank employees and a deputy dead, while he takes Cal on a survival trip that turns dangerous when three men target them, unaware Hunt is a Marshal. Meanwhile, newly returned Clayton joins others helping the Cavalry investigate two soldiers' murders, though the fort's Colonel bristles at Gray Wolf's involvement and questions his integrity. Packed with action and intrigue, this episode follows Hunt's men as they chase down criminals scattered across the West.

Hunt weighs a major opportunity to expand his ranch, uncertain if he can afford it, just as Charles Crawford asks for his help tracking down thieves sabotaging his railroad, an act with deadly consequences. Meanwhile, a robbed gold mining payroll turns violent, sending Hunt's best men after the culprits. Then a brazen bank robbery in Denver spirals out of control, and Hunt finds himself in the line of fire when he rushes into the street to stop it, unaware of what size of the gang he was up against.

Hunt's slow, frustrating recovery keeps him sidelined, unable to ride or walk far without pain, and the inactivity wears on him even as he spends more time with family and plans for the future. With Dodd and the men busy solving crimes across the territory, a stranger from Virginia arrives in Denver seeking revenge against the man responsible for his brothers' deaths, tracing the trail straight to Hunt. With the team scattered on missions, only Dodd stands between Hunt and the angry man's wrath. Meanwhile, the deputies confront a dangerous gunslinger who has just killed a town constable, and after bringing him in they return to Denver, where Hunt steps in to make a surprising change.

Hunt returns from Hidden Valley feeling renewed, and a visit to Dr. Green brings good news, along with word of a proposal for a new hospital that Charles happens to hear about during a visit of his own. Hunt's recovery is tested when a saloon confrontation turns violent, while Dakota returns from the Academy to settle in Denver. Meanwhile, Hunt's men take on a grim case in New Mexico, tracking bandits responsible for murdering a rancher's family and stealing their livestock. Excitement over the new hospital's groundbreaking sours when a disgruntled land speculator files a lawsuit against Charles and the city, forcing Hunt to step in before tensions boil over.

Hunt's episodes continue with surprises and manhunts, starting with the death of an old friend, whose Kansas City funeral brings an unexpected promotion offer from Marshal Bekins that he won't let Hunt refuse. With his team finally back to full strength, Hunt turns his attention to a wounded ranch hand and five hundred missing cattle, leading a mission to find the culprits and bring them to justice. Later, a trip to Washington with Beth to meet President Andrew Johnson brings Hunt an offer of career-altering appointment he's reluctant to accept, though Beth pushes him to say yes.

Hunt speaks at graduation, presenting new Deputy Marshals with their badges, then travels with Earl to Florida while Clayton escorts Beth to Denver. Tensions flare between Earl and his untested deputies, forcing Hunt to step in and make a difficult call during a manhunt that turns up a surprising discovery. Reunited with the family, Hunt returns to Chicago, where the kids settle happily into their new home and being spoiled by Martha. Back at work, Hunt begins to find deeper purpose in the job, joining a dangerous mission in Bangor to arrest bank robbers before touring various Marshal offices to share lessons on recruiting good deputies.

This episode finds Hunt visiting other U.S. Marshal offices while working to open a new one, running into resistance from marshals reluctant to lose their best people to new recruits. A detail in West Virginia lands Hunt in a shootout, and though he identifies a deputy he's certain would make a great marshal, the offer meets unexpected pushback. With a few spare days after a stop in Atlanta, Hunt heads south to check in on Earl in Orlando.

Hunt helps launch the next recruit class before checking on new offices in Centralia and Butte, fielding an irritated letter from Senator Garrett Davis along the way demanding his son be reassigned East. In Dakota Territory, Hunt rides with Bill's men to investigate a deadly stagecoach robbery near Aberdeen, then continues to Butte, where a deputy was badly wounded by a paranoid, drunken miner. Back at the Academy, Hunt steps in for a determined recruit who failed his written exam, helping him get another shot. He then travels to New Orleans to support old friend Marshal Troop Peterson after an ambush leaves two of his men seriously injured.

Hunt keeps making the rounds to offices in need of support, and has a tense encounter in a saloon with a stranger whose name suddenly rings a bell. A trip west to check on Ben Collins in Arizona extends to San Francisco, and on the way Hunt throws two would-be thieves off a moving train. Needing to open a new Midwest office, Hunt finds the right man for the job and joins him and his crew in pursuit of the First Blood Gang after a train attack. A quiet day in Denver leaves Hunt depressed and reflecting on what he gave up for Chicago, stirring doubts about whether he should step down and move back home.