Seeking adventure in the Old American West, Dr. Michaela “Mike” Quinn (Jane Seymour) leaves Boston to set up a medical practice in the Frontier town of Colorado Springs. Mike adjusts to the hardships and dangers of her new life, all the while raising three orphaned children, pursuing a romantic relationship with mountain man Byron Sully (Joe Lando) and proving herself to a community that doesn’t take kindly to the idea of a female physician.
S1/EP 1 - The Epidemic
Horror mounts when influenza attacks Colorado Springs. Dr. Mike must attend the sick townspeople and protect others from getting the deadly disease. But being a lady doctor has people questioning whether she can handle the fatal epidemic.
S1/EP 2 - The Visitor
Mike's estranged mother visits, but she and Mike are still miles apart. Meanwhile, Robert E is injured in a fire.
S1/EP 3 - Law of the Land
A gunslinger arrives looking for a quiet town in which to hang them up, but Colorado Springs is itching to lynch an immigrant for cattle rustling to feed his starving family.
S1/EP 4 - The Healing
A bitter Loren, who blames Sully for his daughter's death, tries to repossess Dr. Mike's cabin when he learns he still owns the deed.
S1/EP 5 - Father's Day
After the influenza epidemic, Dr. Quinn persuades the townspeople that smallpox vaccinations are necessary. Meanwhile, Ethan Cooper, the father of Brian, Colleen, and Matthew, and the runaway husband of the late Charlotte Cooper, arrives in town.
S1/EP 6 - Bad Water
Dr. Mike and Sully embark on a dangerous journey to prove that a local mining operation is polluting the town's water supply with mercury.
S1/EP 7 - The Great American Medicine Show
Dr. Mike clashes with Doc Eli, who comes to town peddling his own medicine purported to cure anything and everything.
S1/EP 8 - A Cowboy's Lullaby
A down-and-out cowboy abandons his infant child, but Sully and Dr. Mike convince him to take the baby back.
S1/EP 9 - Running Ghost
Sully is left for dead as he attempts to stop the men hired by the railroad to kill the buffalo. Meanwhile, the town falls prey to a man falsely claiming to work for the railroad who tried to con them out of their property.
S1/EP 10 - The Prisoner
When Cloud Dancing is taken prisoner by General Custer, Dr. Mike and Sully try to engineer his escape.
S1/EP 11 - Happy Birthday
Dr. Mike celebrates her 35th birthday and feels that the entire town considers her to be an old maid. Her children begin looking around town for someone to court her. Jake struggles with alcoholism after Dr. Mike accuses him of killing a man who dies Jake cut him with a dirty razor while shaving him.
S1/EP 12 - Rite of Passage
Matthew clashes with Dr. Mike after declaring his intent to marry Ingrid. To prove his manhood, he sets off on a vision quest with the help of Sully and Cloud Dancing.
S1/EP 13 - Heroes
Colleen develops romantic feelings for Sully as she misinterprets a number of his helpful actions. Her crush on him puts her life in danger. Hank accuses Grace of poisoning him.
S1/EP 14 - The Operation
Dr. Mike must perform a delicate brain operation on Brian after he suffers a brain injury from hitting his head after jumping from a tree. The townspeople put aside their differences and come together to build the schoolhouse.
S1/EP 15 - The Secret
Dr. Mike discovers a boy living alone in the woods. Upon bringing him to town, she's met with resistance because the boy was the son of a saloon girl.
S1/EP 16 - Portraits
A traveling photographer arrives in town and opens a photo exhibit. Dr. Mike discovers he is ill and is met with resistance when she recommends treatment. The town comes together for a photo.
S2/EP 1 - The Race
After receiving a fast horse as a gift, Dr. Mike is determined to ride in the upcoming horse race despite the fact that women aren't allowed. So Sully helps her disguise herself as a man.
S2/EP 2 - Sanctuary
Loren's sister-in-law, Dorothy, arrives in town, badly beaten from her alcoholic husband, Marcus. When Marcus is later found dead, Dorothy is acquitted for murder and Dr. Mike, as her lawyer, seeks out to see if she really did murder him.
S2/EP 3 - Halloween
Dr. Mike becomes haunted by the ghost of Abigail, Sully's dead wife, after Sully expresses the desire to fix the homestead for her.
S2/EP 4 - The Incident
The Cheyenne brave Little Eagle has been killed, Jake is blamed, and the entire town is upset over the incident. While Sully keeps peace between the Cheyenne and the town's people.
S2/EP 5 - Saving Souls
Dr. Mike and the reverend are skeptical when a so-called religious healer comes to town.
S2/EP 6 - Where the Heart is: Part 1
Dr. Mike receives a telegram that her mother is seriously ill, so she and the children leave immediately for Boston. Once there, Dr. Mike clashes with her mother's physician over his diagnosis of cancer, insisting that hepatitis is the correct diagnosis.
S2/EP 7 - Where the Heart is: Part 2
Sully arrives in Boston and discovers that he's facing worthy competition for Mike's affection in the form of Dr. William Burke.
S2/EP 8 - Giving Thanks
The spirit of Thanksgiving runs dry in the drought-stricken town, and Mike and Sully begin to cultivate their relationship.
S2/EP 9 - Best Friends
Dorothy shows signs of menopause, while Colleen shows signs of romance, put there by a boy with whom her new best friend is also smitten.
S2/EP 10 - Sully's Choice
Sully ends up wounded and wanted after trying to quell violence between renegade Indians and the Cavalry.
S2/EP 11 - Dr. Mike's Dream: A Christmas Tale
Dr. Mike has an "A Christmas Carol" style dream, where she wonders what her life would have been like if she had not become a doctor.
S2/EP 12 - Crossing the Line
Matthew puts himself on shaky ground when he crosses the picket line of miners striking over unsafe conditions.
S2/EP 13 - The Offering
Mike encourages the Cheyenne to accept blankets from the Army that later prove to be infected with typhus.
S2/EP 14 - The Circus
A whimsical woman and her daughter bring a circus to town.
S2/EP 15 - Another Woman
A white woman who grew up among the Indians finds a kindred soul in Sully; Jake's appeal to Dorothy's heart bothers Loren.
S2/EP 16 - Orphan Train
Mike works very closely with Rev. Johnson to find homes for orphans who come to town.
S2/EP 17 - Buffalo Soldiers
Mike and Sully spy on buffalo soldiers who are seeking to engage the Cheyenne.
S2/EP 18 - Luck of the Draw
Matthew needs money, and bets he can get it by learning high-stakes poker from a cardsharp.
S2/EP 19 - Life and Death
Dorothy's happy to welcome home her war-hero son, but his addiction leads to a violent incident involving Mike.
S2/EP 20 - The First Circle
The KKK comes calling when Robert E and Grace buy a home in town.
S2/EP 21 - Just One Lullaby
Reverend Johnson's in love with the new schoolteacher, but Mike's not wild about her use of corporal punishment.
S2/EP 22 - The Abduction: Part 1
Dr. Mike can't cover up a deadly attack on Army men by dog soldiers.
S2/EP 23 - The Abduction: Part 2
Sully risks his life to save Mike from the dog soldiers, who have abducted her.
S2/EP 24 - The Campaign
Mike runs against Jake for mayor, and the election becomes a referendum on women's rights.
S2/EP 25 - The Man in the Moon
Hank reacts violently when Myra decides to leave the "business."
S2/EP 26 - Return Engagement: Part 1
Mike accepts Sully's proposal, but then realizes the true identity of a visiting naturalist
S2/EP 27 - Return Engagement: Part 2
Mike reels from the return of her presumed-dead fiancé.
S3/EP 1 - The Train
Mike favors the train coming to Colorado Springs, but Sully doesn't, and the issue derails their relationship.
S3/EP 2 - Fathers and Sons
Loren leaves town to look for adventure. Meanwhile, Brian enters puberty.
S3/EP 3 - Cattle Drive: Part 1
Matthew inherits cattle and leads a drive home.
S3/EP 4 - Cattle Drive: Part 2
Matthew resists Sully's advice as he struggles to bring the cattle home.
S3/EP 5 - The Library
Mike donates her father's book collection to start a library, but Rev. Johnson has moral objections to some of the volumes.
S3/EP 6 - Halloween II
Mike offers her surgical expertise to help a disfigured man, despite the town's view of him as a "monster."
S3/EP 7 - A Washington Affair: Part 1
Mike leads Sully, Cloud Dancing and the family on a mission to Washington to lobby on behalf of the Cheyenne.
S3/EP 8 - A Washington Affair: Part 2
The family's adventure in Washington, D.C., continues.
S3/EP 9 - Money Trouble
Sully can't afford to meet the expenses on the new house, but Mike can. Meanwhile, Myra begins sleepwalking.
S3/EP 10 - Thanksgiving
Heading home for Thanksgiving, the stagecoach carrying Mike, Sully, Kid Cole and Sister Ruth is robbed.
S3/EP 11 - Ladies Night: Part 1
Mike detects a possibly cancerous lump in Dorothy.
S3/EP 12 - Ladies Night: Part 2
Dorothy insists that the decision whether to have surgery is hers, not Mike's.
S3/EP 13 - A First Christmas
A Jewish family arrives in town at Christmastime, bringing their own seasonal traditions and competition for Loren's dry-goods business.
S3/EP 14 - The Indian Agent
Sully is sworn in as an Indian Agent, but bureaucratic corruption undercuts his efforts on behalf of the Cheyenne.
S3/EP 15 - The End of the World
A newspaper report of a comet's imminent collision with Earth causes hysteria in the town over the end of the world.
S3/EP 16 - Pike's Peace
Mike befriends a strong-willed woman who's determined to scale Pike's Peak---alone.
S3/EP 17 - Cooper vs. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Part 1
Mike and Sully decide to formally adopt Colleen and Brian, but the kids' father and his new wife challenge them for custody.
S3/EP 18 - Cooper vs. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Part 2
Mike and Sully fight Colleen and Brian's biological father for custody.
S3/EP 19 - What Is Love?
Dorothy wants to stage "Romeo and Juliet" for Valentine's Day.
S3/EP 20 - Things My Father Never Gave
Robert E is hired to repair a steam engine to keep the construction of the railroad on track.
S3/EP 21 - Baby Outlaws
Mike takes in a young Belle Starr after she's wounded trying to rob the saloon.
S3/EP 22 - Bone of Contention
A paleontologist wants to dig for dinosaur fossils on a Cheyenne burial ground.
S3/EP 23 - Permanence of Change
While substitute teaching, Mike learns that one of the students is being neglected at home. Meanwhile, the townsfolk are riled when Mike introduces the theory of evolution.
S3/EP 24 - Washita: Part 1
Starvation among the Cheyenne hastens an increase in raids on settlers, and Gen. Custer and his men arrive to quell the outbreak.
S3/EP 25 - Washita: Part 2
General Custer escalates the battle with the Cheyenne, culminating in the Washita massacre.
S3/EP 26 - Sully's Recovery
Sully leaves town to resign from his position as Indian agent and, on the road, finds an injured Loren, who's been scouting for property in the former Cheyenne lands.
S3/EP 27 - Ready or Not
As their wedding nears, Mike and Sully reflect on their relationship.
S3/EP 28 - For Better or Worse: Part 1
Mike and Sully are ready to tie the knot, but not before they tie up some loose ends.
S3/EP 29 - For Better or Worse: Part 2
Mike and Sully are married.
S4/EP 1 - A New Life
Newlyweds Mike and Sully adjust to a new life in a changing town, where Preston arrives to establish the first bank.
S4/EP 2 - Traveling All Stars
Colorado Springs fields a baseball team to play against a squad of touring professionals.
S4/EP 3 - Mothers and Daughters
Mike is surprised by the depth of her passion for Sully; Colleen becomes rebellious.
S4/EP 4 - Brother's Keepers
Tragedy strikes when Brian's rabies-infected dog bites Matthew's fiancée, Ingrid.
S4/EP 5 - Halloween III
A classmate's Halloween tale spooks Brian; an arthritic man seeks relief in the hot springs.
S4/EP 6 - Dorothy's Book
Dorothy gets her book about the town published, but the townsfolk read her depiction of them differently than she intended.
S4/EP 7 - Promises, Promises
Loren proposes to Dorothy, but he suffers a stroke before she can answer. Meanwhile, a friend summons Sully to Nevada to help set up a mining operation.
S4/EP 8 - The Expedition: Part 1
Mike leads Dorothy, Myra and Grace on a hiking expedition to scale Pike's Peak; Preston plots to build a hotel-casino.
S4/EP 9 - The Expedition: Part 2
Mike's fall jeopardizes her hiking expedition; Preston sells out Jake; and Robert E makes a stunning confession to Sully.
S4/EP 10 - One Touch of Nature
At Thanksgiving time, Mike faces the possibility that she might be infertile.
S4/EP 11 - Hell on Wheels
The family finds Matthew working at a railroad camp, where his grief drives him to volunteer for a dangerous blasting job.
S4/EP 12 - Fifi's First Christmas
At Christmastime, the family receives a rambunctious poodle from Mike's mother, and Brian has a case of puppy love for a new girl in town.
S4/EP 13 - Change of Heart
Grace and Robert take in an orphan, who suffers from an undiagnosed malady.
S4/EP 14 - Tin Star
Increasing lawlessness sparks a demand for a new sheriff, and Matthew feels he's the man for the job.
S4/EP 15 - If You Love Someone
Matthew falls for an independent woman, but the fact that she's a prostitute complicates their romance. Meanwhile, Preston offers Myra a job at the bank.
S4/EP 16 - The Iceman Cometh
Swindlers come to town seeking "investors" in a home-refrigeration enterprise.
S4/EP 17 - Dead or Alive: Part 1
The son of a politician is kidnapped by a mountain man; Mike suffers pregnancy complications.
S4/EP 18 - Dead or Alive: Part 2
The hunt for McBride intensifies for Sully and Preston; Dr. Cassidy assumes the duties of a bed-ridden Mike.
S4/EP 19 - Deal with the Devil
The imminent arrival of Reverend Johnson's ministry mentor leads the reverend to borrow money from Hank to repair the church.
S4/EP 20 - Eye for an Eye
An irredeemable murderer is sentenced to be hanged, and Mike has no objections.
S4/EP 21 - Hearts and Minds
Reverend Johnson opens a school for Native American children, but learns his methods don't mesh with tribal customs.
S4/EP 22 - Reunion
Mike's college chum visits, and their subtle rivalry is renewed.
S4/EP 23 - The Woman of the Year
A suffragist informs Mike she's a Woman of the Year nominee; Hank cleans up his act when his grandmother visits.
S4/EP 24 - Last Chance
Sully's method of handling conditions on the reservation displeases the Indian Superintendent; Emma is roughed up by a customer.
S4/EP 25 - Fear Itself
An ebullient painter comes to town, where she tries to hide her unfortunate condition: she has leprosy.
S4/EP 26 - One Nation
When Cloud Dancing takes the blame for shooting a soldier, Sully insists he be tried by the Indians.
S4/EP 27 - When Child Is Born: Part 1
Mike's mother and sisters arrive with a doctor to help with Mike's imminent delivery; Sergeant O'Connor gets orders to move the Indians to different reservations.
S4/EP 28 - When Child Is Born: Part 2
After finding an injured Sully deep in the woods, Mike goes into labor.
S5/EP 1 - Runaway Train
Sully boards a train with newly freed Cloud Dancing, but robbers are also aboard. Meanwhile, Mike returns to work after maternity leave.
S5/EP 2 - Having It All
While Mike tries to juggle work and child-care responsibilities, Colleen prepares to leave town after she's accepted to college.
S5/EP 3 - Malpractice
A baby dies while under Mike's care, and the parents sue her for malpractice.
S5/EP 4 - All That Glitters
Colleen returns from Denver in the company of a dazzling singing star who wows the town.
S5/EP 5 - Los Americanos
Tragedy strikes Mexican-American newlyweds who purchase the ranch near the homestead; Robert E and Grace consider adopting Anthony.
S5/EP 6 - Last Dance
Sully is offered a job in the new Yellowstone National Park; Matthew and Emma reach a turning point.
S5/EP 7 - Right or Wrong
While Jake and Preston campaign for mayor, Sully elects to rescue an Indian being held prisoner by the Army.
S5/EP 8 - Remember Me
An ailing miner turns out to be Jake's father, who abandoned his family years ago.
S5/EP 9 - Legend
Mike, Sully and Matthew team with a legendary lawman to track down bank robbers; Brian plays Cupid for Teresa and Jake.
S5/EP 10 - The Tempest
Mike learns that Andrew is opening his own practice; and Preston's father arrives for the hotel's Thanksgiving opening.
S5/EP 11 - Separate But Equal
Grace and Robert E's efforts to enroll Anthony in school run into racial obstacles.
S5/EP 12 - A Place to Die
A deadly outbreak is traced to Mike's clinic, and it threatens to destroy her practice.
S5/EP 13 - Season of Miracles
The joy of the Christmas season is diminished by Rev. Johnson's sudden blindness, a condition for which Mike can find no cure.
S5/EP 14 - The Dam
Sully and Preston oppose the construction of a dam---but the law, in the form of Matthew, stands against them.
S5/EP 15 - Farewell Appearance
Mike receives a surprise visit from her beloved uncle, a pianist who still quietly grieves for the son he lost at Gettysburg.
S5/EP 16 - The Most Fatal Disease
Kid Cole and Sister Ruth are escorting mail-order brides to California, where, Mike learns, the couple intend to divorce.
S5/EP 17 - Colleen's Paper
Mike recalls significant medical cases for the benefit of Colleen, who's writing a paper for college.
S5/EP 18 - Between Friends (aka A House Divided): Part 1
Sully's wealthy old friend makes himself at home with Mike when Sully leaves to pursue a job that can help ease the family's debt.
S5/EP 19 - Between Friends (aka A House Divided): Part 2
Sully is furious that Dr. Mike accepted money from his friend Daniel to pay off their mortgage.
S5/EP 20 - Hostage
Mike, Brian and baby Katie are held hostage at the homestead by a pair of bank-robbing brothers.
S5/EP 21 - The Body Electric
Poet Walt Whitman visits Colorado Springs, but when townsfolk hear rumors about his sexual orientation, they shun him.
S5/EP 22 - Before the Dawn
When Horace makes a suicide attempt after signing his divorce papers, Mike prescribes a visit from Myra and his daughter as an antidote for his melancholy.
S5/EP 23 - Starting Over
Mike's suffragette sister shares her passionate feelings with Loren in more ways than one.
S5/EP 24 - His Father's Son
Feeling neglected, Brian acts out in adolescent fashion. Meanwhile, Andrew sells a specious remedy for the resort clinic.
S5/EP 25 - Moment of Truth: Part 1
After soldiers give Cloud Dancing a severe beating, Sully plots an escape for the tribes people on the reservation.
S5/EP 26 - Moment of Truth: Part 2
Sully and Cloud Dancing are on the run from the Army after the reservation rebellion.
S6/EP 1 - Reason to Believe
Sully struggles to survive in the wilderness after the reservation revolt and Mike is determined to find him.
S6/EP 2 - All That Matters
Mike helps Sully recover from his injuries, and a plan is formulated to keep him hidden from the Army.
S6/EP 3 - A Matter of Conscience
As the Dog Soldiers' reign of terror continues, Hank appoints himself sheriff.
S6/EP 4 - The Comfort of Friends
Mike discovers that she's pregnant, and Founders' Day plans cause problems among the townsfolk.
S6/EP 5 - Wave Goodbye
The apparent mystical powers of a Russian princess electrify the townsfolk and even spark curiosity in a skeptical Mike.
S6/EP 6 - A Place Called Home
Anthony's condition takes a turn for the worse, but Grace won't accept that he's going to die; Mike can't find the words to tell Sully about the miscarriage.
S6/EP 7 - Lead Me Not
Marjorie arrives with a group of prohibitionists; Jake thinks that Hank's after Teresa and goes on a bender.
S6/EP 8 - Time to Heal: Part 1
Mike's mother and sister visit just as a deadly outbreak of diphtheria strikes.
S6/EP 9 - Time to Heal: Part 2
Mike's treatment for Marjorie's diphtheria has tragic consequences; and Daniel is stricken.
S6/EP 10 - Civil Wars
A rash of petty lawsuits breaks out in town and Mike is appointed judge to settle the disputes.
S6/EP 11 - Safe Passage
The crisis involving Sully climaxes when Mike represents ailing Black Moon and his warriors in negotiations with the Army.
S6/EP 12 - The Homecoming
Mike and Sully trek back from the Cheyenne camp, intending to be home for Christmas, but they take time to aid a couple looking for a settlement.
S6/EP 13 - Point Blank
Mike survives a shooting by a man with a vendetta against doctors, but the trauma emotionally wounds her.
S6/EP 14 - Seeds of Doubt
A smooth operator makes a move on Colleen; Sully and Brian hit the trail with a senator and his son.
S6/EP 15 - Seven Kinds of Lonely
Loren, still grieving over Marjorie's death, reveals his intention to move away; Jake proposes to Teresa; Grace's drinking threatens her marriage.
S6/EP 16 - Life In Balance
Mike meets a Chinese herbalist and his granddaughter when a group of itinerant Chinese are stricken with a fever.
S6/EP 17 - Happily Ever After
The disapproval of Teresa's aunt puts a hitch in Jake and Teresa's wedding plans; Cloud Dancing is jailed for trying to return to Colorado Springs.
S6/EP 18 - Birdman
Brian befriends an escapee from a New York asylum who behaves like a bird.
S6/EP 19 - Vengeance
Marshal Elias Burch chooses Matthew to defend him when he's tried for the murder of an ex-con.
S6/EP 20 - To Have and To Hold
During a mountain trek, Mike and Sully recall past moments together
S6/EP 21 - The Fight
Robert E releases anger about Grace in the boxing ring, where he takes on an ailing champ.
S6/EP 22 - A New Beginning
Colleen is accepted to med school, and Andrew proposes to her. Meanwhile, Preston's financial fall has repercussions for townsfolk.