In her first novel, Jenny Pitman draws on her years of experience in the world of horse racing, with a fast-paced and heart-stopping tale of one woman's life after the death of her husband. Left to bring up her two children, Jan Hardy faces a bleak future in the wilds of Wales looking after a crumbling farm-holding while under the watchful and suspicious eye of her bitter mother-in-law. Her only escape lies in her affinity with horses she has a natural gift in their handling. She begins her quest to carve out a new future for her and her two young children in Gloucestershire in the tough and masculine world of training racehorses. As success starts to come her way initially by breaking in problem horses she endures setbacks from her family and almost overwhelming financial disaster. And to make matters worse, someone seems determined to derail her life.

Jan Hardy wants to train racehorses to win. And with her professional training license under her belt, she visits Ireland to buy horses at auction. But she finds out more than she bargains for in the shape of influential tycoon A. D. O'Hagan. As money worries pile up and family affairs run far from smoothly, Jan comes to depend on the friendship and support of Angie Sharp, herself no stranger to the racing business, who persuades her parents to appoint Jan as their new trainer. With the support of O'Hagan, Jan builds up a string of racehorses and her jockey starts to win races. While her reputation begins to soar, family troubles still demand her attention - as does the local GP, Doctor Tony Robinson, who wants to give her more than just his loyalty. Then as her jockey inexplicably loses his winning touch, life appears to spiral out of control. And a mysterious person from Jan's past is waiting in the wings ...

Young widow Jan Hardy is a successful racehorse trainer, an independent, determined woman working alone in a predominantly male world. After the death of her husband, her priority has been to provide for her two young children. But the world of horseracing is often rife with treachery and corruption. Betrayed by a family of owners, Jan finds herself in a desperate situation. And so when Gary West, an Australian billionaire, asks her to find and train eight premium National Hunt horses - it seems too good to be true. But just as things are looking up for Jan, Gary’s massive, multi-faceted business empire is running into trouble, and he is becoming increasingly elusive. In the midst of this compelling tale is the story of a woman’s yearning for emotional support and a chance to secure stability for her family. Eddie Sullivan, it seems, might be the man she needs, but he too has a past to deal with and Jan must face perhaps the most painful dilemma of her life...

When trainer Jan Hardy triumphs at Cheltenham, little does she know that the year ahead will be the most traumatic and exciting of her life. Wealthy businessman A.D. O’Hagan wants Jan to train one of his most promising young horses, but the thoroughbred seems impossible to work with—until a young hand new to Jan’s stable discovers his horse-whispering talents. Meanwhile, a violent robbery leads to unexpected tragedy, bringing to a head the intense rivalry between Jan and fellow trainer, Virginia Gilbert. Now, Jan must face an old adversary and a new vendetta.

As Jan Hardy recovers from the wounds of the past, the stage is set for a fine year, with a wedding on the horizon, the return of distant loved ones, and the appearance of a mysterious Cherokee Indian sponsor, Jerry Raven. All is looking promising, until a suspicious death throws Jan’s world into turmoil. Is the sickness afflicting Raven’s horses natural, or is there some more sinister explanation? Soon, Jan finds both her personal life and her professional reputation in tatters.