Follow Your Heart

6.5/10 · 781 ratings20201h 24mWeirdness 4/10Bingo card

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The premise

Kathy Yoder has left her Amish ways and is a successful travel-guide writer. When she goes home to settle her dad's affairs, she's reminded of her life before she left the Amish community--including her old love, Isaac. Will Kathy decide to stay or return to her traveling lifestyle?

How unusual is it?

Middle of the road, with a twist — a second-chance romance keeps it from being totally by-the-book.

Who’s in it

Behind the camera

Show

Wait, what?

The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

  • The concept of a 'Broke Girl's Travel Guide' being a New York Times bestseller
  • The manager's immediate attempt to market an Amish widower as a 'sexy Amish poet' for a book cover
  • The 'Soul Journey' spa requiring guests to surrender phones to achieve a 'higher level of consciousness'
  • An Amish man writing poetry about 'giants turned to stone' (silos) and 'light splattering like an egg'

Every trope, all in one place

Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 29 to find more movies that do the same thing.

How it all plays out

Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

Full story (spoilers)
The film opens in New York City, where Kathy Yoder is celebrating the success of her latest travel book. Her manager, Evelyn, and her boyfriend, Jacques—a travel network star—propose that Kathy and Jacques co-host a new adventure television series. Exhausted from writing four books a year, Kathy is hesitant but agrees to think about it during a weekend spa retreat. At the spa, Kathy receives a devastating voicemail from her estranged sister, Miriam, informing her that their father has passed away. Kathy immediately drives to the Amish community of Mountain View, a place she hasn't visited in ten years. Upon arrival, she encounters Isaac Mast, a widower and talented furniture maker who was her close friend in their youth. Miriam receives Kathy with cold hostility, resenting her for abandoning the family and their faith. When the father's will reveals that the farm has been left to both sisters, Kathy offers to sign over her half, but Miriam refuses any 'English' charity, despite the family's struggle to pay property taxes. Kathy stays in Isaac's guest farmhouse, where she discovers a hidden journal of beautiful poetry. She eventually realizes Isaac is the author, though he fears the church's judgment regarding his artistic expression. As Kathy spends time helping with chores and bonding with Isaac’s young daughter, Sarah, she begins to question her fast-paced life in the city. The conflict peaks when Jacques and Evelyn arrive unannounced in Mountain View. Evelyn, seeing dollar signs, tries to recruit Isaac as a 'sexy Amish poet' for a book deal, leading Isaac to believe Kathy betrayed his secrets for her career. Heartbroken, Kathy realizes she doesn't love Jacques or the life he represents. She breaks up with him and turns down the TV show. In a final confrontation, Miriam discovers a stash of letters and money Kathy had been sending home for years, realizing her sister never truly stopped caring. Miriam gives Kathy her blessing to pursue Isaac. Isaac, willing to leave the community to be with Kathy, is stopped by her; she realizes she wants to rejoin the community or find a middle ground. The film concludes with Kathy's realization that 'home' is not a destination but a feeling of being loved for who you are, as she and Isaac commit to a future together.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    Kathy is offered a life-changing TV hosting deal with her boyfriend Jacques but is called home to her Amish community when her father dies.

  2. Midpoint

    Kathy discovers that her childhood friend Isaac is a secret poet and begins to fall back in love with him while clashing with her sister Miriam over the family farm.

  3. Climax

    Kathy's city life and Amish life collide when Jacques and her manager Evelyn arrive, causing Isaac to feel betrayed by Kathy's 'English' world.

  4. Falling Action

    Kathy breaks up with Jacques and rejects the TV show, while Miriam finds Kathy's old letters and realizes she was always loyal to the family.

  5. Resolution

    Miriam and Kathy reconcile, and Isaac and Kathy confess their love, deciding to build a life together based on their shared values rather than strict rules.

29 tropes in one movie

We counted 29 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

How it stacks up

Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

Rating 6.5 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.5567

Higher-rated than 56% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Follow Your Heart belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Lines worth quoting

The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

  • “The sunset has nothing on a farmer's daughter.”
    — Isaac MastA line from one of Isaac's secret poems about Kathy.
  • “We will not accept charity from an Englisher.”
    — MiriamMiriam rejecting Kathy's offer to pay the farm's property taxes.
  • “I thought I actually achieved a higher level of consciousness.”
    — JacquesJacques discussing his experience at the Tranquility Spa.
  • “Dressing Amish does not make you Amish.”
    — Isaac MastIsaac confronting Kathy after her city friends arrive and disrupt the community.

Meet the characters

Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

  • Kathy (Katrina) Yoder

    Lead

    Travel Writer

    RestlessSuccessfulSentimentalConflict-averse
  • Isaac Mast

    Love interest

    Furniture Maker and Secret Poet

    Childhood sweetheart and current love interest

    StoicArtisticDevoted fatherTraditional
  • Jacques

    Antagonist

    TV Travel Host

    Boyfriend and professional partner

    SuperficialAmbitiousSelf-centered
  • Miriam

    Supporting

    Farmer

    Sister

    BitterHardworkingProtectiveStubborn
  • Evelyn

    Supporting

    Literary Manager

    Manager and friend

    High-energyOpportunisticUrban

Questions people ask about Follow Your Heart

Where can I watch Follow Your Heart?

Follow Your Heart is available via fuboTV, Philo, and YouTube TV. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is Follow Your Heart?

Follow Your Heart runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2020.

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Data and sources

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Sources:IMDbTMDB