Michael Portillo continues his 1,500-mile journey through the American Wild West, armed with his 19th-century Appleton's Guide. In Lawrence, Kansas, Michael enjoys a prairie chicken dance with a student of the Haskell Indian Nations University and learns how Native American Indians were treated in the 19th century. Michael joins the Jayhawks basketball team in the famous Allen Field house stadium with energetic encouragement from their cheerleaders, before travelling through Tornado Alley to Topeka to meet one of the first storm chasers in America. Driving out on the Great Plains, Michael learns about the Tallgrass Prairie and comes face to face with a herd of wild buffalo.

Michael Portillo hits ranching territory in Las Animas County, Colorado, where he follows in the footsteps of 19th-century dudes from the east coast who came to experience life as cowboys. First up - how to use a lasso.

At Bent's Old Fort, Michael learns about the Mexican-American War of 1848 and finds himself inspecting the troops. He also looks at America's relationship with firearms at a NRA shooting centre in Raton, and discovers how guns won the West.

Across the state line in Pueblo, New Mexico, Michael is drawn to a giant steel mill mentioned in his Appleton's that produces rails a quarter of a mile long, transported on special trains.