All Things Bright and Beautiful: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor

Jim and Helen live at the top of Skeldale House. The veterinary surgery is below. Jim’s boss Siegfried Farnon and his brother Tristan Farnon have let him and Helen stay there for free. Jim appreciates the space and the view from the window.

Later in the day, Jim reports to Robert Corner’s farm to help with an injured foal. During the examination, Robert’s dog Jock patiently watches Jim work. However, Jim notes that there’s Jock isn’t always so placid. He is a sheepdog and loves to run. Oftentimes, Jim lets him run alongside his car. He recalls how Robert once got new puppies, and Jock would compete with them. Jim noticed how they wore Jock out. After Robert sold the puppies, Jock returned to his normal self. Jim imagines he was relieved to be on top again.

Next, Jim reports to Rob Benson’s farm to assist in lambing. Jim is familiar with lambing, as he’s been a country vet in the Dales for three springs. While assisting one ewe give birth, Jim notices a runt lamb from another ewe searching for milk. Rob calls this lamb Herbert because he reminds him of his own son.

All of the ewe’s lambs die in childbirth. Worried that the ewe will die, too, Jim and Rob assign her as Herbert’s new mother since Herbert’s mother rejected him. They skin one of the dead lambs, put its skin onto Herbert, and push him near the ewe. She takes an immediate liking to him. A week later, Jim discovers that Herbert and the ewe are inseparable. Jim studies the landscape and marvels at the natural world.

Joe Mulligan brings his dog Clancy to the surgery. Clancy has been vomiting and Joe doesn’t know why. Jim gives him some medicine but can’t find anything wrong with him. Over the following weeks, Joe continues asking Jim or Tristan about Clancy’s condition. Siegfried discovers the situation and insists that Jim and Tristan need to conduct a more thorough examination before asserting that he’s fine. Finally, Siegfried takes it upon himself to do the job. Jim later discovers that Siegfried only inspected the dog for one minute before declaring that he was okay. Like Jim and Tristan, Siegfried was unnerved by Clancy’s growling.

Jim meets with Mr. Pickersgill about a problem with his cows: They’ve been producing milk with flakes in it and their teats are swollen. Jim asserts he doesn’t know what the problem is but in fact suspects it has something to do with Mr. Pickersgill’s aggressive milking technique. However, Jim doesn’t want to scold Mr. Pickersgill because he’s a know-it-all and doesn’t take criticism well. Finally, one day, Mr. Pickersgill suggests they put a balm on the cows’ udders. He then complains to Jim about his bad back. Jim has a revelation and suggests that Mr. Pickersgill take a break from milking to rest his back. He can let his daughter Olive (who has a more gentle milking technique) take over and use the balm in the meantime. Over the following weeks, the cows’ condition clears up and Mr. Pickersgill’s back improves.

On the way home from a morning call, Jim drives out to a picturesque spot by Drovers’ Road and luxuriates in a nearby field. He studies the sky and landscape and reflects on his life. Afterward, he returns to the surgery. Realizing he left his hoof knife behind, he sneaks around in search of Siegfried’s spare knife for his next job. Siegfried catches him and scolds him for leaving his tools around, and he gives Tristan the same lecture. Then, they’re called to Mr. Kendall’s to complete a few jobs. While working with Mr. Kendall’s animals, Kendall informs Siegfried that he left one of his tools behind on his last visit. He tells Jim and Tristan that Siegfried never visits without leaving something behind.

Jim appreciates how well Helen, Siegfried, and Tristan get along. He attributes their closeness to the Farnon brothers’ involvement in his and Helen’s courtship. He remembers this time and all the advice he asked from the Farnons. One time, Jim was nervous because Helen invited him to her house after two dates. He really liked Helen but something always went wrong when they got together. The Farnons assured him otherwise.

Jim reported to Heston Grange, where Helen lived with her father Mr. Alderson, her aunt Lucy, and her two siblings. (Her mother had died years prior.) Helen made them an elaborate lunch. The conversation was awkward, and Jim especially worried about impressing Mr. Alderson. After lunch, the men retreated to the sitting room. They were relieved when Helen burst in, announcing that a cow needed urgent help. The men raced out to the field. The cow’s condition was severe, and Jim wasn’t sure he could save her. He explained the situation to Mr. Alderson, who agreed Jim should administer the proposed injection. Almost as soon as he injected the cow, she died. Mr. Alderson seemed unaffected but Jim despaired, convinced he’d ruined things with Helen.

Jim reports to Albert Crumps’s farm to examine his horse. After the examination, Albert invites Jim inside for some of his homemade wine. They drink and talk for some time. Jim enjoys the wine and rapidly becomes intoxicated. Then, he gets a call to report to the Bamford farm and heads out in the pouring rain. He helps the Bamfords deliver a calf. Despite his inebriation, Jim is proud of himself.

The next day, Jim has a terrible hangover. Tristan fixes him a hangover cure at the surgery. When he tells Siegfried what happened last night, Siegfried scolds him, saying the Bamfords are staunch Methodists and are strongly against alcohol. Jim realizes they knew he was drunk.

An elderly local man gets upset with Jim for letting a student operate on his cat. Confused, Jim insists he did the surgery himself. The man explains that a nosy local woman, Old Mrs. Donovan, inspected the cat and declared it student work. Mrs. Donovan is a fixture in Darrowby. A seemingly ageless woman, she wanders around town and inserts herself in other people’s business.

One day, Mrs. Donovan calls Jim to say her dog has been hit by a car. Jim reports to the scene but can’t save the dog. Mrs. Donovan is devastated.

Not long later, a police officer calls Jim to help him with an abandoned dog. The dog is locked in a shack, starving, and covered in sores. Jim insists that the police officer arrest the abusers, but the officer says the owners aren’t well and can’t be held responsible. However, he thinks Jim should put the dog down. Jim initially agrees but feels sorry for the dog, who is only a year old and has a trusting, kind demeanor. Suddenly, Mrs. Donovan appears and volunteers to take the dog. The officer isn’t sure, but Jim agrees. He patches the dog up and brings him to Mrs. Donovan’s. Over the following weeks, the dog (named Roy) improves. He and Mrs. Donovan become inseparable. Roy always shows affection to Jim when they see each other, too. Roy remains a fixture in town throughout the following years, and the whole community loves him.

Jim reflects on how much his life has changed since marrying Helen. One turning point in his life was the Darrowby Show. Siegfried was going out of town and asked Jim to take his place officiating the show and judging Family Pets. Jim agreed. When he arrived, he hung out with Tristan in the beer tent. There, they saw Mr. Alderson, Helen, and Richard Edmundson. Jim despaired, convinced that Helen was Richard’s date.

Jim got called to the stewards to help with a ram. While assisting the animal with a broken horn, he noticed Helen and Richard looking on. Afterward, he had to officiate the classification of the show animals. One man got upset when Jim insisted his dog couldn’t compete because he had a fever. Others tried to trick Jim to get their pets into certain classes. The man with the dog continued bothering Jim, telling him lies about other animals and begging him to let his dog in. Then, Jim saw Helen and Richard in his periphery again. Overwhelmed, he retreated to the beer tent and rejoined Tristan.

The atmosphere in the tent was more intense now. People were upset with Jim for his classification decisions. They got even more upset when Jim judged the Family Pets. (He made his decision by asking the animals’ owners about their care routines.) In the tent afterward, Jim overheard people yelling and screaming about the winner he chose: a goldfish. Feeling defeated, he headed to his car. On the way, he passed Helen’s party again. Then, his car wouldn’t start. He sat in the driver’s seat, studied the field, and felt ready to give up.