Up, up and away! Hallmark’s hit drama When Calls the Heart kicks off Season 9 by going, literally, above the clouds when schoolteacher Elizabeth Thornton (Erin Krakow) and the man she chose to be her partner, Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally), spend some romantic time in a balloon over Hope Valley. Sigh…

What’s new back on the ground with Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry) since he got elbowed out of the love triangle? Well, he has a new addition in his life, and it rests between his nose and his mouth: “He’s rocking some post-breakup moustache, I guess,” Krakow says with a laugh. “Hashtag heartbreakmoustache?”

The town is also changing with more automobiles, a mayoral race that features a few familiar residents as candidates as well as a new business (you’ll have to tune in to see what that is and who is running it). “There’s a lot of activity in Hope Valley,” Krakow notes. Plus some new faces, such as Mei Sou (Amanda Wong), whom we meet early in the season premiere. “Her entrance is a dramatic one!” Krakow teases. Watch the full interview above.

When Calls the Heart, Sundays, 9/8c, Hallmark Channel