倾听心灵 When Calls The Heart

本片根据加拿大女作家Janette Oke撰写的系列西部畅销小说改编，故事描述生活在1910年的上流社会千金小姐Elizabeth Thatcher（Poppy Drayton）不愿终生碌碌无为，于是努力取得教师从业资格，获得去加拿大西部边陲小镇「煤谷镇」执教的机会。她在多伦多的家中养尊处优，家庭生活井然有序，这种地方对她来说非常危险。为了向所有人证明自己能应付恶劣的情况，她决定从已故姨妈的秘密日记中寻找灵感。她的姨妈也叫Elizabeth（Maggie Grace，《迷失》），在日记中详细记录了自己的生活经历——她也和Elizabeth Thatcher一样到西部边陲支教，也经历了许多艰难困苦。她爱上了英俊的加拿大骑警Wynn Delaney（Stephen Amell，《绿箭侠》），并从他那里获得了战胜一切的勇气。年轻的Elizabeth又将经历和姨妈一模一样的状况……她甚至也爱上一位英俊的加拿大骑警（Daniel Sharman）！

Lori Loughlin、Jean Smart参与演出，扮演两名煤谷镇上两个女强人。

该片已经被Hallmark扩充为正式剧集，剧集版将在明年一月播出。剧集版中的Elizabeth Thatcher将由Erin Krakow扮演，加拿大骑警Jack Thornton由Daniel Lissing扮演。Lori Loughlin和Jean Smart有可能在剧集版中出现，但不会是常规演员。Maggie Grace和Stephen Amell不大可能继续演出。

完整剧情描述

The Thatcher family eats dinner together at their lavish estate, toasting middle daughter Elizabeth on her new teaching degree.The Thatcher’s youngest, Julie, a high-spirited 20-year- old, teases Elizabeth, writing her sister off as a boring schoolmarm who will never find love and bringing up family friend Edward Montclair, an entitled and arrogant young man who has just returned from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy. Everyone is surprised, thinking of Edward’s lazy and privileged upbringing and the academy’s rigorous training.

Elizabeth meetswith SuperintendentHigginsthe following day to discuss her teaching placement.He makes it clear he will only place her in the best school if she’ll agree to his private terms, finding her very attractive and wanting to take advantage of her sheltered innocence. Feeling threatened, Elizabeth quickly leaves with tears in her eyes.

A week later, Elizabeth receives a letter from Higgins with a train ticket. He explains he can’t offer her a job near home, but has secured hera positionat theCoal Valley School in the western frontier. Elizabeth tells her parents, whoimmediately worry.Julie mocksthat Elizabeth isn’t brave enough to move away from home and Edward, visiting the family for the first time since graduating and looking much more grown up, agrees the west is no place for a young lady like her. Determined, Elizabeth announces she will make her own decision.

That night, as Julie sleeps, Elizabeth sneaks into her room and stumbles on a diary written by her own Aunt Elizabeth. As she reads it late into the night, she learns her aunt was also a teacher in a western territory.Elizabeth becomes riveted by her aunt’s adventures, until Julie catches her reading the diary.She bets Elizabeth she would never be able to live on her own. They make a wager: if Elizabeth can survive a week living alone in their old ground-keeper’s deserted cottage, Julie will give Elizabeth her full blessing to pursue the teaching job.

Elizabeth moves into the simple and bare cottage and settles into reading the diary, picking up on Aunt Elizabeth’s first day of school.Aunt Elizabeth shows up to class late and encounters unhappy parents and students, as well as wild snakes and troublemakers who relish in pulling pranks on her. At the end of class, Aunt Elizabeth is stunned when the new man she met earlierin the day, WynnDelaney, arrives to pick up his own child, Phillip. Assuming he is married and feeling foolish for almost falling for his charm, Aunt Elizabeth treats him coldly.

Aunt Elizabeth continues to struggle to adjust to her western frontier lifestyle, almost causing a fire in her schoolhouse and sinking into a mudpit. As Elizabeth reads, she becomes increasingly horrified ofheraunt’sexperience.In the cottage, sheisunexpectedlyinterrupted by her mother,accompanied by Mr. Higgins. He is there to offer her ateaching position at a prestigious private school in town, having a sudden change of heart. Elizabeth asks for time to think about her decision.

Hoping to win the bet, Julierecruits Edward to help her release mice into the cottage while Elizabeth is sleeping that night. She waits with Edward outside as Elizabeth starts screaming and runs into the main house. Julie and Edward sheepishly follow and soon the Thatchers are all awake.Elizabeth tells Julie she won their wager; she won’t take the job in Coal Valley.

Then, Juliereveals Mrs. Thatcher bribed Mr. Higgins with money to offer Elizabeth the job in town.Elizabeth feels betrayed, realizing she didn’t earn the job in town and can’t survive the west.Upset, she retreats to her room.The next morning, Mr. Thatcher comforts Elizabeth, revealing Aunt Elizabeth left home and never returned, but felt it was her calling to teach. Knowing this, Elizabeth wonders if she can conquer her own fears to live out West after all. She suddenly feels it is her true purpose to teach in Coal Valley.

The Thatchers take Elizabeth to the train station and have an emotional goodbye and Elizabeth boards her train, ready for an adventure.Taking the diary with her, she dives back into her aunt’s story.Noticing one of her pupils is very ill and his familyis very poor, Aunt Elizabeth wants to help. The rest of her students suggest hosting a carnival and auction to raise money, and they all pitch in. The carnival is a huge success and Aunt Elizabeth is overwhelmed at the generosity of her students. Everyone gathers in the schoolhouse for an auction, where Phillip’s mother, Lydia, introduces herself to Aunt Elizabeth.The first auction is a lunch date with Aunt Elizabeth andWynn shockinglybets high. Hewins, butElizabethpolitelydeclines lunch, uncomfortable with Wynn’s advances so close to Lydia.

In the train, Elizabeth is immersed in the story when she is interrupted by Edward, dressed in his Mountie uniform. He admits her father asked him to escort her to Coal Valley.Elizabeth is insulted. As they ride on the next leg of the journey in a stagecoach, Edward apologizes for the mice.Heinsistshe has grown up since going to the academy. Elizabeth ignoreshim and continues reading about her aunt, who finds out Wynn is Phillip’s uncle, not his father.He only lives with his sister Lydia because her husband is ill.

Now seeing Wynn in a whole new way, Aunt Elizabeth enjoys a picnic with him.As he drops her off at home, he asks her if she’ll travel to Calgary with him for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Ball. Reading by their campfire that night, Elizabeth suddenly realizes Wynn is a Mountie, just like Edward. Elizabeth tells Edward her revelation and he explains there is still a ball held every year and he hopes to go.Humming to a beat, he asks Elizabeth for a dance by the fire. Unsure, she lets him lead her and they are suddenly both lost in the moment.

Elizabeth goes to bed that night in her tent suddenly confused about her feelings for Edward. The next day, they continue their journey on the stagecoachand an outlaw rides up and attacks their driver. Edward gets out to see what is going on and is cornered by a gang of outlaws.They hold him at gunpoint and rummage through their suitcases, stealing everything. The outlaws escape with their horses, leaving Edward and Elizabeth stranded in the deserted territory.Edward tells her they will take only what they need and start walking.

As they walk, Elizabeth leans on Edward for support and he takes care of her, carrying her and nursing her wounds. They continue their journey on foot the next few days, both exhausted.Just when Elizabeth is about to give up, saying she can’t go on any longer, Edward shares his own personal struggle of going through the police academy and realizing his higher purpose to help others.He reads to her from the diary—a final scene of Aunt Elizabeth on her last day at the schoolhouse. She is praised by all the students and parents for her passion for teaching and changing their lives.Newly determined, Elizabeth decides to keep going.

Edward and Elizabeth are tired and dirty as they finally make it to Coal Valley, where the saloon has been transformed into a makeshift classroom. Elizabeth meets Frances Tunnecliffe and Abigail Stanton, the school board. They gravely inform her many children lost their fathers in a coal mine explosion and the schoolhouse burned down. They won’t let the coal company run their lives any longer and asked Mr. Higgins to send the best teacher for their kids.

Elizabeth feels inspired by the challenge, promising not to let them down. Edward leaves to begin his post as a Mountie.As he goes, Elizabeth rushes after him, wanting to confess her feelings, but he is gone.With a hopeful smile, she returns to her new classroom, thinking of her aunt.