Feeling lost and abandoned, Mary battles anger and self-pity at a school for the blind. But soon, she finds a source of hope in her new teacher, Adam Kendall, and as they work together, they find they have much in common. Meanwhile, back in Walnut Grove, many are forced to consider the real possibility of having to start a new life elsewhere as the town's economy erodes and work becomes scarce.

NOTE: After her blindness at age 14, the real-life Mary Ingalls attended the Iowa School for the Blind in Vinton, Iowa. Mary's actual stay was much longer than the few months' time depicted on the show. Her parents took her there on November 23, 1881, and she did not graduate until June 11, 1889 at age 24, meaning she was a student for eight years. However, Mary was absent during the 1887-1888 school year as her parents could not afford the tuition and needed more time to come up with the money.