History Peggy Dayton, the daughter of Laura Dayton, is a sweet, young girl who has just lost her father to a riding accident. Her mother, Laura, tries to conceal the death of her father, which only adds to the bitterness. Adam Cartwright and her mother begin to take interest in eachother, but Peggy isn't ready to accept Adam as a member of the family. Adam finds out that Peggy, unbeknownst to her mother, knows about her father's death; Adam tries to have Laura explain it to Peggy, but Peggy doesn't want to move on. Laura eventually finds a way to help her daughter let go of the loss, and both of them go forward to a new future, which appears to include Adam as well.