All Creatures Great and Small

It"s 1937, and Glasgow is in the grip of depression. James Herriot, fresh out of veterinary college, is struggling to find work. When he"s offered an interview to be a veterinary assistant in Yorkshire, James is thrown into the deep end when Siegfried Farnon, his potential new boss, takes him out to the local farms to put his skills to the test.

Just when James is settling into life in the Dales, Siegfried"s younger brother Tristan returns from veterinary college in Edinburgh, having passed his final exams. Siegfried is delighted and instructs James to take Tristan on his rounds to put his theory into practice. James obliges but starts to feel threatened by the new arrival when Tristan goes out of his way to impress his brother.

It"s race weekend, and Siegfried is interviewing for the job of Attending Vet at Darrowby Racecourse. It"s a position he"s coveted for a long time, and he works hard to impress the head of the racecourse, General Ransom. Siegfried"s charm offensive seems to pay off when Ransom makes him an offer. But it"s not without its caveats, and Siegfried is torn between his ambition and his loyalty to James.

James receives a call from Mrs. Pumphrey, who fears her beloved dog Tricki Woo is dying. Back at Skeldale, Tristan prepares to return to school and asks Siegfried for money. Encouraged by Mrs. Hall, Tristan tries to earn his keep by taking Tricki Woo under his wing. Meanwhile, James gets closer to Helen when he helps treat their prize bull, and Helen repays James with some interesting home baking.

At the Darrowby Show, James is pleased as punch that he"s been given the honor of Attending Vet. But Siegfried and Tristan know the job is a poisoned chalice and reckon James won"t last the day. Meanwhile, the Aldersons are hoping to sell their prize-winning bull to help their finances. Helen asks James if he will vouch for the animal to a visiting breeder, landing him with an unenviable dilemma.

The Dales are in the grip of a bitter winter. Siegfried has the flu, and James"s workload has doubled. Dick Rudd calls him out to examine his pedigree cow Strawberry, and James is alarmed to discover a life-threatening abscess that could also doom the Rudd family"s finances. James and Tristan ignore Siegfried"s advice and decide to carry out an extremely high-risk procedure on the cow.

It's Christmas Eve and the day before Helen and Hugh's much-anticipated wedding. James is trying to bury his pain over Helen and has invited his new girlfriend to the annual Skeldale Christmas party. Then he receives a call about a dog struggling to give birth. When Helen volunteers to go with him, the two end up trapped in the fog together as suppressed feelings swirl around them.