[1][2] Christian and Anna Larsen immigrate from Sweden to the United States with their children, nine-year-old Tuliff and eight-year-old Annaliese, in 1858 and settle in the wilderness outside Solna, Minnesota, where they set about establishing a new life for themselves and their family.

Reverend Lundstrom and his wife Molly live in the area, and Murdock is the proprietor of the local general store.

[3] Blinn wrote for the show, as did Gerry Day, Ray Goldrup, Bethel Leslie, Larry Brody, Michael Michaelian, and Katharyn Powers.

[3] Loosely based on two Swedish movies, 1971's The Emigrants and 1972's The New Land,[2] the show was filmed on location in California and central Oregon, near Sunriver.

The New Land received almost universal acclaim from critics, many of whom compared it favorably with the hit series The Waltons.