"How the West Was Won" is the story of rugged mountain man Zeb Macahan (played by a post-"Gunsmoke" James Arness), who is forced to care for his brother's four children after the outbreak of the Civil War interrupts the family's planned trek west. The children's widowed Aunt Molly travels from Boston to help Zeb care for his brood, which consists of eldest son Luke, a fugitive from justice after killing a man in self defense; sisters Laura and Jessie, and youngest son Josh. Location filming in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Southern California give the production a distinctive look.