When Calls the Heart

The film begins with Elizabeth Thatcher reflecting on her life in Hope Valley, but her peace is disturbed when Jack Thornton witnesses her childhood friend Charles proposing to her. Although Elizabeth rejects Charles, Jack is plagued by jealousy and the fear that their different social backgrounds will eventually pull them apart. Meanwhile, the town is in a state of transition; Bill Avery is under arrest for counterfeiting, though he insists he is being framed by the veteran Inspector Houston. Jack eventually chooses to trust Bill, leading to a tense standoff in the woods where Houston's corruption is exposed and Bill is exonerated. In a comedic subplot, the dramatic Rosemary LeVeaux wins a newspaper contest for a story on 'Frontier Families' and coerces Lee Coulter into pretending to be her husband to impress a visiting reporter. Their charade involves absurd excuses for missing wedding rings, including Lee being 'allergic to gold.' Parallel to these events, Abigail Stanton discovers a young boy named Cody stealing food for his sister Becky, who is suffering from a life-threatening parasitic infection. Abigail takes the children in, promising to protect them from being sent back to an orphanage. The town's new pastor, Frank Hogan, assists Abigail but is confronted by a mysterious man from his past named Jesse, who knows him as 'Matt Landry.' Elizabeth works with a grieving student, Laura, whose father has shut out all joy since his wife's death, eventually helping them find happiness through an art contest. On New Year's Eve, Becky's fever miraculously breaks after a community prayer. Rosemary confesses her 'fake marriage' to the reporter, who decides the real story of the town's bond is better than the fiction. The movie concludes with the town burying a memory box to be opened in 100 years, and Jack and Elizabeth reconciling with a romantic kiss under the midnight fireworks.