Fourteen-year-old Mattie is obsessed with horses with no hope of ever owning one. At least that's what she believes. Living with her widowed mother in the small seaside town of Gull's Nest, she's been told over and over there's no room in the family budget for a horse.
Imagine her excitement when she discovers a mesmerizing painting of a beautiful black horse hidden in the attic of her grandmother's home. She never suspects that this is no ordinary work of art. Rather, this is a painting with a fascinating history that will lead Mattie on a trip through the supernatural.
Mattie hangs the painting next to her bed where she can look at it every night before going to sleep. She knows it's childish but she can't stop talking to the horse as if he were a living, breathing creature rather than a few dabs of paint on a canvas. As impossible as it seems, she believes he's responding to her.
Mattie's heard the rumors circulating among the older residents of Gull's Nest: rumors hinting that there's something supernatural about the women in Mattie's family. She's always discounted them until now. Could these rumors be true? Does she have the power to bring this horse to life?
One night Mattie feels compelled to leave the safety of her grandmother's home and venture deeply into the surrounding forest. There, illuminated by the light of a full moon, she encounters a beautiful black horse bearing an uncanny resemblance to the one in her painting. Mattie can't believe her luck. Intrigued by this wild horse, she sneaks out nightly for magical rides.
The painted image seems to gain vitality as the bond between Mattie and her mysterious stallion deepens. Are the two somehow connected?
Soon, her worst fears are realized. If only she'd heeded her grandmother's warnings to be careful what she wished for in life; for it's one thing to wish the painted horse were real and quite another to discover he may be.
