A recipe for trouble for ranch owner, Sandy Scott. But her daughter, Kirstie is undaunted by her mother's warnings. She's at her happiest riding the trails through the tall forests and deep canyons of the Meltwater Range...

Steamboat Charlie, a big black gelding, arrives at Half-Moon Ranch with a bad reputation for bucking off his riders. But Kirstie likes the black gelding's playful nature and happily works with him, until a random gunshot during a forest ride shatters the peace. Was the shot an accident or deliberate? Can Kirstie uncover the mystery - and find out the truth about Steamboat's past?