Jan Hardy is 33, widowed and short of money, but determined to make a success of her life for her children's sake. She has managed against the odds to acquire a Jockey Club licence to train horses, and in the face of fierce competition from the traditional male, upper-class bastions of racing, she sets out to carve a career for herself.

At the first big sale she attends in Ireland, her nervous uncertainty causes her to drop her guard and trust those who extend the hand of friendship when she is most vulnerable. Within the year, she has discovered who was offering her friendship and who wasn't.