With a knife, a horse, and the survival lessons her Father and Uncle taught her, Zelena must face the challenges of the ranch and the gateway of the rugged wilderness. She builds shelters, searches out water, and forages for food using ingenuity and common sense. Her Uncle and Dad, who are trail-tough, battle-hardened, struggle to keep her alive from the fierce and treacherous Government in an extraordinary race to take their land for the rich minerals rites, unknown to her Dad and Uncle. In addition, they must keep a herd of majestic wild horses that roam their land, safe from poachers and the Bureau of Land Management. Twelve-year-old Zelina learns to depend on her ability to go beyond what her Father and Uncle were able to teach her as she bravely presses on, fighting off the temptations to give up against all odds.