Royal Hearts

The film opens with Kelly Pavlik, an assistant professor at Montana State University, lecturing on the civility and social graces of Jane Austen's world. Her personal life is less refined, as evidenced by a disastrous date with a man more interested in 'Lizard Man' comics than conversation. Meanwhile, her father Hank, a rugged cattle rancher, is approached by a solicitor named Grimsby. Grimsby reveals that due to the death of a distant relative, Hank is the rightful King of Merania. Initially dismissive, Hank agrees to travel to Europe after Kelly expresses her desire to see the world before starting a doctorate at Oxford. Upon arrival in Merania, Hank is horrified by the castle ('Vampires live in a castle') and the stiff protocols. He learns that if he abdicates, Merania will be absorbed by the neighboring country of Angosia, ruled by King Nikolas. Hank agrees to stay for two weeks to secure the country's independence. Kelly meets Alex, a stable hand who surprises her with his knowledge of Tennyson and his Oxford education; he is secretly the son of the Chancellor. Simultaneously, King Nikolas begins a calculated courtship of Kelly, hoping to unite the kingdoms. Hank, refusing to raise taxes on the locals, decides to turn the royal estate into a working cattle ranch, much to the chagrin of the Privy Council. He also strikes up a friendship with Joan, a fellow Montanan who owns a local bar. The conflict peaks when Nikolas publicly proposes to Kelly at a royal ball, and she tentatively agrees to 'consider' it to avoid a scene. However, Kelly soon discovers Nikolas's true motive: he is bankrupt and needs Merania's mineral rights to secure industrial contracts. In a climactic 'horse trade,' Hank outmaneuvers Nikolas by offering the mineral rights in exchange for Merania's permanent independence and the dissolution of the monarchy. Hank abdicates, turning Merania into a democracy, and returns to Montana with Joan and his dog, Bear. Kelly chooses to stay in Merania with Alex to raise a foal, eventually marrying him in a 'royal cowboy wedding' that blends her academic dreams with her ranching heritage.