When Calls the Heart

The film opens with a celebration for Elizabeth Thatcher, a valedictorian who has chosen the 'noble profession' of teaching. Her sister Julie mentions that Edward Montclair, a former social idler, has returned after joining the North-West Mounted Police. Elizabeth meets with Superintendent Higgins to discuss her placement; when she rebuffs his inappropriate sexual advances, he spitefully assigns her to a remote, 'God-forsaken' school in Coal Valley. Elizabeth's mother, desperate to keep her daughter in the city, conspires with Higgins to bribe him for a local position, while Julie bets Elizabeth she won't last a week in a rustic cottage. Elizabeth discovers a hidden diary belonging to her Aunt Elizabeth, revealing a parallel story from years prior. In the diary, the elder Elizabeth travels to Pine Springs, where she is picked up in a hearse by an undertaker and eventually meets Wynn Delaney, a man she initially mistakes for a 'womanizing swine' before realizing he is a Mountie caring for his brother's family. In the present, Julie and Edward attempt to sabotage Elizabeth's resolve by releasing ten mice into her cottage, causing a breakdown that nearly leads her to accept the local teaching job. However, upon discovering her mother's bribery and receiving encouragement from her father to find 'God's purpose,' Elizabeth reclaims her Coal Valley assignment. Her father tasks Edward with escorting her safely West. During their journey, the stagecoach is robbed by three outlaws. Edward chooses to protect Elizabeth rather than risk a shootout, resulting in the loss of her money and a sentimental compass. They are forced to trek the remaining distance on foot, a journey that hardens Elizabeth's resilience. Upon arriving in Coal Valley, she finds a town in mourning after a mine explosion killed 47 men. The local women, led by Abigail Stanton, challenge Elizabeth to see if she is 'woman enough' to fight for the children's future. Elizabeth accepts the challenge, setting up her classroom in a saloon, while Edward prepares to hunt down the outlaws, hinting at a burgeoning romance and a shared future on the frontier.