A jury has the fate of a mountain man in it's hands.

The meanest outlady in the US is coming to Dodge, at least that's what Festus has heard, but it's really Emma Grundy out to retrieve her seven orphans from Titus Spangler and take them back to the orphanage where they belong. The town finds it ludicrous that these children have never had a Christmas and plan on putting one on in the Long Branch. The problem arises when Mrs. Grundy arrives, and she has her own personal reasons for not giving the children Christmas. Kitty steps in to solve the problem single handedly and ends up messing things up worse than they were.

Ben Justin must try and clear his name of false charges.

Lucius's daughter wants her dad locked up so she and Tom can have the estate. Judge Broker thinks Mr. Prince is sane and Mr. Prince proves he can be a dad.

Festus is mistaken for a killer.

A father disapproves of the man her daughter marries.

A faith-healer comes to Dodge. Doc is skeptical.

Festus heads to Abilene to bring a woman $11 left over from the sale of her things after her father's death, and finds time to teach two little boys a lesson along the way.

When a family man lawfully kills a murderous outlaw by shooting him in the back, some people in town start to physically abuse him.

The greatest bad-guy character actor of our time, William Smith, plays Jude Bonner, a bad guy who kidnaps, brutalizes, and shoots Miss Kitty in retaliation for his brother having been caught by Matt Dillon and hung for his crimes. Probably for the first time in seventeen years of Gunsmoke, Dillon takes off his marshal's badge before going after Bonner, with the intent of killing him.

Matt comes back to Dodge City after capturing a prisoner he has been following for two days straight. Kitty is upset with Matt for not attending a lunch. To make up for the mistake Matt asks her out for dinner.

Talbot falls in love Katherine after shooting her husband in self-defense. Katherine wants to learn more about Talbot. Katherine learns of Talbot's plans to rob the bank, she puts her life in danger by telling Talbot she will leave him if he robs the bank.

Kitty and Matt are off for St. Louis, until Matt is summoned back on business. Upset with him, Kitty sets off for herself meeting a gunslinger on the stage who ends up saving her life. He goes back to Dodge with her and proceeds to court her. Kitty has a hard decision. Leave Matt after 18 years of a relationship or stay with Stambridge.

Mr. Wolfe has taken the case and said it was sham, Matt offers to protect the lawyer. Cora feels lied to because she didn't know Mr. Wolfe was an indian. Cicero wolfe continues his after defense lawyer objects to the facts proving nothing. Cora feels that the case could hurt her dad no matter how the case ends.

Cora feels her dad drove his wife to her death.Mr. Wolfe rests his case. Bear realizes that what Cora said was right and still loves her. Mr. Wolfe asks for a friend and says he always loved her.

Billy comes back to Dodge because he has trouble finding anyone to listen to his stories and visit Festus who is a friend of his. Billy retarded and tells Festus a riddle and the answer given isn't funny to Billy, Doc tells Festus that Billy has the mind of a seven or eight year old and needs better care.

Billy sees a man hurting a cat and almost kills the man, not knowing that what he did was wrong Matt and Festus talk to Judge Brooker and Festus becomes a guardian to Billy. When a deer is shot for food Billy attacks Festus. Festus has a hard time trying to make Billy understand why the deer was shot.

Doc tells Festus to take Billy back to where he came from but finds that hard to do. They go to the place Doc suggested and Billy gets worried about the noises inside the place. Festus tells Billy he is going to kill rabbits for dinner and try to give Billy a taste of life.

Matt, Doc & Festus find Billy telling kids stories at an orphan's home.

An old safe cracker is set free and he comes back to Dodge to find his former lady love. When two men looking to steal a lot of money come to town and approach him about unlocking the safe at the station, he accepts their proposal, sort of.

Matt is frustrated by Judge Kendall's insistence that the letter of the law be maintained, which could result in Emmett Kaysinger and his boys, all known outlaws, be set free unless there is solid evidence to hold them for a double murder and robbery they committed.

Henry Decory is a schoolteacher who makes a strong statement for compulsory education for frontier children as a stubborn father feels that books and education are a waste of time and tries to keep his son Tommy out of school.

A comedy of errors puts Festus behind a plow, farming for a family of shiftless sharecroppers.