Two years before, horse-loving Blythe Hyland would have been thrilled with the news that the family was moving back to an Arizona ranch, but now -- what difference did it make to her? What could a thin, listless girl, crippled by polio, do on a ranch?

Then the haunting vision of Blind Man's Pocket, a deep spring-fed valley tucked away in a range of mountains, tempted her to try riding a horse again, and when she had conquered her initial panic, Blythe felt the world might be hers once more. It was in Blind Man's Pocket that Blythe found Dark Sunshine, a magnificent wild mare that had been trapped by a landslide.

From the moment she learned it was possible to rescue the buckskin, Blythe determined that, crutches or no, she would train and ride her. It was slow, often painful work for the crippled girl, but when an endurance ride offered Blythe her only chance to win athletic honors toward a scholarship, both horse and rider were ready for the grueling test.