Aaron Claridge dies while leading his pregnant wife Marty, an East Coast teacher, on the wagon trail to the West. Destitute and unprotected, she accepts a marriage of convenience with widower Clark Davis to help raise his young daughter Missie all winter, if he will pay for her return in the spring. Missie is hostile to her 'mother substitute', but as the months pass Clark achieves a rapprochement.

Devout, wild west farmer, Clark Davis, works his tail off to provide for his wife, sons Aaron and Arnie, and daughter Missie. When his doted upon, equally devoted oldest son Aaron is startled, Clark, who was chopping firewood, accidentally hits his leg with an ax. He would have bled to death if wandering youngster Nate hadn't found them, brought them home and taken care of the farm, way above the kids' ability. Grateful Clark offers Nate an indefinite farmhand job, all the more interesting as Missy and he take to each other, but she's also courted by classy railroad surveyor. Once recovered, Clark realizes Nate is really Willie, the son of local grump, Zeke, who left years ago after his kid brother Mattie's tragical death. Decision time arrives for both families.

Missie's surprise pregnancy sets her on a new course that is both thrilling and terrifying. After all the planning and dreaming, she and her husband, Willie, have headed west in a covered wagon, leaving behind the prairie home of Missie's parents. Now, caught between the excitement of the new adventure and the pain of not knowing when she'll see her family again, Missie copes with the challenges, and cherishes the rewards, of her new homestead.

Tragedy tests the faith and love of a family of pioneers as they carve out a life on the frontier.

Missie three years later: being a single mother after her husband Willie was shot during a poker scuffle, move back east near her parents, Clark and Marty. She finds finds a new teaching position that she settles right into, but Missie has lost all faith in herself, until a chance encounter at her father's church where she adopts homeless orphan, Belinda Marshall. Missie didn't want to adopt a child into the family, as she is already taking care of Mattie, but decides to welcome her in with open arms. Missie also finds interest in Zack Tyler, the town's sheriff. There are some subplots and incidents that mirror Missie's tragic losses, and through the experiences will she ever find a way to bring hope and joy?

Belinda Tyler struggles to choose between her career aspirations as a doctor and her feelings for a New York lawyer who wants a traditional wife.

This is a Christian film from Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series. Belinda Simpson is recovering from the loss of her husband. She arrives in a small Missouri town to become the local doctor. The town doesn't immediately take to a female doctor. She's also faced with the challenge of an infection in the town, that everyone believes came from the local orphanage. With the help of her friend, Annie, and a young blacksmith, Lee Owens, Belinda seeks a cure.

A frontier doctor (Sarah Jones) clashes with a nursemald (Patty Duke) while caring for the woman's pregnant daughter inlaw (Haylle Duf).

Clark Davis adventurous dreams of seeing the world are put into jeopardy after he and a friend start a fight which damages a local cafe. Through a plea deal with the Sheriff and café owner Millie, Clark works off his sentence as a farmhand for the Barlow sisters, Ellen and Cassie who are searching for a worker.

In the early west, a young husband's trials in raising his child after his wife's unexpected death.

While mourning the loss of her husband and daughter, recently widowed Ellie King (Natalie Hall) visits her brother Aaron Davis (Greg Vaughan) and his children for Christmas. Ellie does her best to enjoy the holidays, making new friends with Mrs. Thompson (JoBeth Williams), a local shop keeper, and handsome admirer Deputy Strode (Dylan Bruce). When Aaron travels out of town to purchase land, Ellie agrees to watch his children, but the season's festivities are threatened when Aaron goes missing.