James Herriot (Simon Ward) is a young and enthusiastic veterinarian who finds a post working as assistant to the more experienced Siegfried Farnon (Anthony Hopkins) in Yorkshire, England. Despite his training, Herriot quickly finds that he still has much to learn about both the duties of a vet and the mores of country life. The locals do not put much faith in him at first, but over time he comes to prove himself, and eventually falls in love with the daughter of a town farmer (Lisa Harrow).