Following a rough winter, Charles decides to sell his farm to the Carter's and move his family to a new town in Iowa. Before setting off, Laura, Almanzo, and some friends throw a small party to say goodbye to Charles. Almanzo gets a letter from his older brother Royal that he and his daughter Jenny are coming for a visit.

Looking to clean up Lars Hanson's old house in hopes to sell it for a nice profit, Mrs. Olsen stumbles across an old bearer bond. Instead of cashing it in and bankrupting Walnut Grove, she decides to use that bond to call in favors for her family – starting with changing the name of the town. However, when she coerces Nels into running for mayor, Laura and the others on the town council uses a bit of gossip to convince Almonzo run against him.