In the series premiere of THE LAST ALASKANS, three families living in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge prepare for the upcoming winter due to arrive in just four weeks. It is September in Alaska, and Heimo and Edna Korth set out to hunt down the tail end of a caribou migration. Bob Harte arrives at his cabin to find it was ransacked by a young grizzly bear, destroying two years of his food supply, which ultimately forces Bob to fly his small single propeller plane to a tiny village located hundreds of miles away to resupply. The Lewis family of five arrives at the refuge with hope as signs of life have returned to the land surrounding their home after a wildfire forced most of the native animals to flee three years earlier. Once settled, Ray and his teenage daughters compete with hungry wolves to take down a moose in order to feed their family throughout the harsh winter. Later, both Heimo and Bob confront the personal tragedies that come with living in extreme isolation nearly 400...

Preparations for winter are underway in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In less than three weeks, the refuge will be covered in snow, making transport and hunting near impossible. Bob prepares his gear for the first hunt of the season but runs into trouble when his boat engine malfunctions. Heimo spots a gigantic bull moose - the one animal that can provide enough meat for himself and his wife throughout the entire winter. After tracking the animal to a gravel bar, Heimo deploys his signature moose call to draw it out into the open. Later, a fourth family - Tyler and Ashley Selden - arrive at their cabin to find it flooded by a rising river. After working to catch nearly 400 salmon, the young couple is forced to go on the offensive after a bear ransacks their fish pile and threatens the only means of keeping their dog team fed through winter.

In the refuge, you are always on the edge, and with only two weeks left until winter, THE LAST ALASKANS are becoming increasingly concerned about their lack of sustainable food. Ray takes to the river and leaves on a nine-hour long hunt for a bull moose while his wife, Cindy, insulates their cabin with moss to protect her family from Alaska's deadly temperatures that will soon arrive. Despite his plane crashing on a test run, Bob desperately searches for meat along a river to feed his dog, Ruger, enough food to gain at least 30 pounds in order to survive the winter. Later, Heimo and Edna's moose meat supply is quickly diminishing, and there's only a handful of precious hunting days left before the brutal deep freeze sets in.

Winter has arrived at Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the time for preparation is over. It's almost Thanksgiving, and only 21 days remain until complete darkness overshadows the refuge - making it more important than ever to find food. With no supply of caribou left, Heimo crosses a newly frozen river to set up traps in a different territory. Bob recounts his recent harrowing experience of spending five days alone in the bush after he crashed his plane. Now, 400 miles from Fairbanks with little food, he hopes his two friends in town can recover the plane and get it back up and running quickly. With no more moose in sight, Ray sends his three daughters, Emma, Sarah and Molly, to find something for the family's Thanksgiving feast.

With the beginning of winter setting in, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is now losing 10-minutes of crucial sunlight each day. Soon, the refuge will be concealed by darkness for the next 67 days. Heimo takes advantage of what little light remains and continues to set up traps in hopes of him finding game before complete darkness overtakes the refuge. While Heimo continues to hunt, Tyler and Ashley try to find food by ice fishing while they trek 15 miles from their lake cabin to take their dogs out for the first sled run of the season. Later, Bob travels into town to see his daughter, Talicia, and determine the status of his plane after he nearly dies in a crash three weeks prior. When he receives bad news about possible internal damage, Bob wonders if he is getting too old to fly. Written by Ian Moore

The first day of darkness has arrived at the refuge. Now, the days are growing shorter, causing Bob, Heimo and the Lewis family to set additional traps and continue hunting for food. Heimo uses what little daylight there is to catch his biggest adversary and competition for resources - the wolf. But overflow on the river blocks his path home and jeopardizes his golden rule of surviving the winter: Always return home before the faint light of day is gone. Bob returns to the refuge from town and begins to follow fresh animal tracks as a result of the constant snowfall. Ray's daughters, Emma, Sarah and Molly, become emotional after what might be their last winter at the refuge as a family.

As they near the end of winter, the refuge residents look toward the future. Bob trains his pup Ruger to be a hunting dog, while Ray prepares for an empty nest life without his daughters. Heimo's ambitious mind pushes his aging body to the brink.

Sunlight finally returns to the refuge. Heimo's stopped in his tracks by -50 degree temperatures. The Seldens make their home in a new cabin. Bob tries to salvage his worst season in 40 years and questions his future.