If you ever have watched many of the Bonanza episodes you will know that falling in love with a Cartwright always ends up poor for the guest star. And in this episode we have the beginning of the curse when little Joe falls in love with a neighboring girl named Amy Bishop. But there is a wrench thrown into the mix because the Cartwrights and the Bishops are in dispute over a tract of land called the Truckee Strip.
Even though the feud between the families is history, it begins anew when a rich man thinks of a way to try to get the timber that is on the Bishop's property. He gets his roughs, led by James Coburn who just happens to be working at the Bishop's farm, to renew the feud and hopefully get Mr Bishop to sell the property so that he can get the lumber that he so much is seeking.
The feud is interesting but the main part of the story is the feeling that Joe and Amy have for each other. In fact Joe believes that this is the woman that he wants to marry and even goes as far as to seek approval of his father and Amy's father. But things will not go as planned when a fight gets out of control which will break the heart of many.
Having seen many shows in the series this was a routine script with predictable results. However if we were to revert back to 1959 and watch the first-run of this episode, I feel sure this would have been tugging at heartstrings and an enjoyable show. So I am giving this offering a good rating all in the name of not knowing the predictable results awaiting.