Nothing is easy for Jinny this summer. Her father's book has failed to sell, and Nell is shutting the shop where the family sells their pottery. Without a solid income, the Manders family might have to go back to Stopton.
If that happens, Finmory must be sold, and Jinny's Arab mare, Shantih, will have to go too.
Someone wants to buy Finmory: Mr Dalton, visiting the Highlands for the summer with his family. Jinny meets them when she's invited to learn cross country with Mr Dalton's step-daughter, Kat. Kat says she's keen to learn, but Jinny can see she's terrified, despite her wonderful horse. Jinny doesn't understand why Kat is so desperate to please her step-father, or why he's so cruel to Kat.
Jinny is desperate to save Finmory and everything she loves, and as life changes, she comes to understand more about what makes people the way they are.