Eleven-year-old Josey Miller knows two things: it's her fault Mama left, and she will do anything to coax her back.
When Mrs. Casey, the new music teacher, starts a band at Bennett Springs Middle School, Josey sees it as her chance to finally belong to something and convince Mama to visit for her concerts. The only problem: there's no money for a clarinet, what with Dad laid off and fighting to keep their farm.
But things start looking up when Grandpa Joe gives Josey an old trombone to play, and Mr. McInerny starts boarding his high-dollar Arabian stallion with Dad. Nobody can train horses like Josey's father. And that's good because Chief is dangerous.
When her father and the stallion go missing during a 50-mile endurance ride in the Ozark Mountains, can Josey bring them safely home?