Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Heart Within is the second made-for-TV movie of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
Set 3 years after the end of the series, Dr. Mike and the family travel back to Boston to attend Colleen's graduation from Harvard Medical School. Colleen experiences the same prejudices as Dr. Mike, while Elizabeth Quinn is found to be gravely ill. Sully gets caught up in a land conspiracy while Brian finds a job with the Boston Globe.
This episode provides examples of:
- Book Ends: The pilot episode began with the death of Michaela's father. In this made-for-TV movie, the series ends with the death of her mother.
- Grand Finale: The writers had enough time to conclude the series with a proper final episode, but this made-for-TV movie was able to wrap up points the writers were unable to wrap up in the final season.
- Made-for-TV Movie: The second (and final) one for the series.
- Post-Script Season: The second of two made-for-TV movies produced after the final season.
