Everyone in the village knew how much Claire Vigere loved her horses—but no one could have imagined that she’d run away and follow them into war… When thirteen-year-old Claire is near a horse, she becomes “the horse’s shadow.” She instinctively knows when to be still on a horse’s back, when to prod, and just how much to ask of a horse on any given day. Her grandfather, Ambrose, is keenly aware of her gift and has taught Claire all he knows about these magnificent creatures. But in the winter of 1863, Claire must learn the hardest lesson of all.

Life is not just about the apple smell of a horse’s breath or the thrill of sending him into a gallop with a simple whisper in his ear. Claire’s family, who have seen many neighbours lose their homes and all their possessions, must do what they can to survive these hard times. That means selling their two best and most beloved Canadian horses, Beau Albert and Tibeau. But plucky Claire cannot bear to lose them. Disguised as a deaf boy (lest her accented English reveals her origins), Claire stows away in a wagon heading south—and straight into the chaos of the American Civil War.