In the country of Breda men are forbidden a home to call their own. They live as nomads, resting only at the mercy of the ruling women. Kat's mother, Tess, the Maestra of Crowfoot Inn, is one of these powerful women and Kat has always known it is her destiny to follow in Tess's footsteps.

But then one rain-swept night a scarred woman comes to Crowfoot riding an extraordinary silver horse and Kat's world is turned upside down. From that moment on it is her burning ambition to become a Bredanari - a keeper of the peace and rider of these magnificent creatures. But it isn't easy for a girl from the Vales to fit in at the Bredanari training academy in the big city. Worse still, Kat knows something which has put her life in danger. She has discovered the whereabouts of a dangerous outlaw. Now there are ruthless people who will do anything to keep her from revealing this secret, including leaving her unconscious on Hellhorse Mountain, where the beautiful but deadly stallions run wild. Kat soon finds herself deeply enmeshed in the dangerous plots and politics that threaten her country, not to mention the life of someone she has come to love.

This is first of two spellbinding books following Kat's adventures.