A devastating horse riding accident leaves a young girl, Grace, and her horse, Pilgrim, physically and emotionally traumatized. In a desperate attempt to heal them both, Grace's mother seeks out a man with a unique gift for communicating with horses. As he works to heal Pilgrim, the horse whisperer also helps Grace and her mother confront their own pain and begin to rebuild their shattered lives.

Set against the backdrop of the harsh Montana landscape, the novel follows the coming-of-age story of a young woman raised on a wheat farm. As she transitions from adolescence to adulthood, she grapples with the complexities of her identity, her relationship with her parents, and her connection to the land. Through the changing seasons and the cycle of sowing and harvesting wheat, she learns about resilience, love, and the intricate patterns of human life, mirroring the ebb and flow of the natural world around her.