After a few months in England, Ellie still misses the life she left behind when her parents died, but there is one thing in this strange new country that helps her forget her pain: Spirit, a skinny gray horse whom she loves more than life itself. With him, she discovered a secret talent--the ability to communicate with horses without speaking, and to hear their thoughts in return. But there is one horse in her uncle's stables who will not open up: a jet-black show hack named Lucifer.

Ellie can tell that something is troubling this valuable new arrival, but unless he will speak to her, she doesn't know how to help. As the horse's silence continues, Ellie and Spirit must work together to save Lucifer's life.