This family Western show centers on the adventures of Michaela Quinn, a doctor who lives in the post-Civil War frontier town of Colorado Springs. Moving there after her father, a Boston physician, dies, Dr. Mike, as she's called, must win over the trust of her new community, who are not exactly thrilled about having a woman doctor. What's worse is that Dr. Mike is an outspoken humanitarian, supporting the minorities of Colorado Springs and having sympathy for barmaids (prostitutes). Dr. Mike's struggles are amplified by the fact that she also cares for three orphaned children and falls in love with a rugged but handsome mountain man, the elusive Sully.