Ashton lived for show jumping, until an accident killed his horse, Atreyu, and left him unable to ride. He blames himself for Atreyu's death and has sworn off horses. Rubbing salt in the wound, his boyfriend and friends were okay with Ashton being ace, but not with his retirement. His mom has purchased him a house with acreage in the hopes that he won't give up on horses entirely, and a puppy, Leia, but neither is able to pull him out of his depression. Ty lives next door, and it's a dream come true to find his idol is his new neighbor. Ashton wants nothing to do with him, but being trans in a largely-unaccepting world has made Ty stubborn, and he's long-used to dealing with people who are hurting, so it's going to take more than Ashton can muster to push him away.