It's a big year for welcomes on Walton's Mountain. Welcome back to John-Boy, visiting from New York, and Grandma, finally home from the hospital. And welcome to the family for Mary Ellen and Curt's baby boy John Curtis. But all hat joy is set against the tragedy of events in the outside world. As the fall of 1939 turns into the spring of 1940, war rages in Europe...and the Waltons are soon caught in its chilling grasp. Curt is called up for duty. Soldiers train on Walton property. The first local enlistee dies. British children flee Blitz for the safety of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Depression is ending...but even tougher times lie ahead.