Heartland is a place like no other; a horse ranch with a special mission of healing abused or neglected horses and finding them new homes. The series follows the Fleming family - Grandpa Jack, teenager Amy and older sister Lou - as they deal with the ups and downs of running a ranch that's been in the family for generations but is now so deep in debt they're one back payment away from losing it all.After the sudden death of their mother - the girls' lives change forever. Lou reluctantly returns home from her high-powered job in New York to take over the business of the ranch - this is not what she planned for her life; Amy realises she has inherited her mother's special horse whispering gift and is determined to keep her mother's dream alive by keeping Heartland as a horse rescue centre - no matter what Lou wants to do; and Jack - well, Jack just wants to keep the two girls from killing each other.Thrown into this mix is Ty, the hunky new stable boy - doing time at heartland instead of jail; Melanie, the 12-year old kid next door who never goes home - she has a crush on Ty; Scott, the local vet who had a thing for Lou back in high school - maybe he still does; Lillian, the wealthy widow next door who has her eye on Jack - and maybe Heartland?; and most importantly Tim, the girls' estranged father, who has returned to Hudson and wants to reconnect with his family but doesn't know how.