Anticipation of the aurora borealis illuminates dreams for Chris and his soul mate Bernard but the same northern lights bring nightmares for Joel, who must make a house call in the woods amid rumors of a Bigfoot-like creature there.

Maurice's choice for an heir results in a father-son squabble; Shelly tags along when Holling and Ed go after the elusive brown bear; Maggie takes over Joel's childbirthing class.

A man from Saskatchewan puts Shelly in a pickle and leaves Holling unable to turn his head; Ed's vision for a blockbuster movie is blurred by writer's block; Rick blames his medical problem on Maggie's "curse."

Flu-stricken townsfolk and the crafty Maggie unwittingly do their part to sabotage Joel's plans for a romantic respite with Elaine, his visiting fiancée.

Joel is asked to be Holling's best man, but his mind is on helping Maurice sell Alaska to two Japanese businessmen in hopes of playing golf at their proposed resort.

A hermit goes to extremes when Dr. Joel suggests that he think about the future; Maggie becomes Joel's partner in a land deal in which a Native American chief is also interested.

A self-reliant Maggie chides Joel for being helpless when he's beset by problems; Ed's uncle Anku, a medicine man, refuses medical treatment; and Chris reads Walt Whitman over the airwaves, angering Maurice, who prefers show tunes on his station.

Yuppie New York doctor Joel Fleischman accepts a job in picturesque Alaska, unaware he's assigned to a remote village, where he experiences culture shock among eccentric townsfolk.