Meris gives up her boyfriend and the security of a nine to five job to hit the road in search of a higher purpose in her life. Broke and spiritually depleted, she is enchanted by the charming New England village of Cherish. Unaware of the danger, she participates in the annual maypole dance falling victim to Nicholas, recruiter and trainer for the Trail Guard. At the camp, the stunned Meris is sent off to Loughlin, housed in a stable and subjected to a program of lunge work, jumping, heavy hauling and bit training before she is turned over to Loughlin to pull his carriage. Although she rebels against this alarming fate and its unfathomable purpose, Meris cannot deny her increasing bond to the woodland and the soft spoken, sexy and broodingly dominant Loughlin. This tale ends in a startling climax in which Meris discovers the reason for her captivity, as she unwittingly takes the final steps toward the very goal of her odyssey.