Ceccie is ten and has a passion for sketching horses. On her walk home from a sketching session a petite appaloosa mysteriously appears and stares at her. The encounter sparks an agonizing longing for a midnight ride. The horse later mysteriously appears at her window and they do ride out into the night. The horse deliberately ends the ride at a barn where nine year old Rachel is held prisoner by a man and woman. Ceccie overhears a snatch of conversation between the kidnappers that drives her to rescue Rachel immediately rather than ride for help. She quickly finds that her own courage is not enough as the situation takes dangerous turns and twists without warning. Two young girls and a horse must find in themselves compassion, wile, insight, and cooperation, and they must find it on the run