Seventh grader Abby St. Clair is eager to start another season with her elite riding team at Saddlehill Academy boarding school, competing against her new stepsister--until she starts getting anonymous messages threatening to expose the secret she is desperate to hide.

It is 1904 and the partially deaf Asta Hedstrom is engaged to Nils, but she does not want to marry him: she would rather spend her time with her best friend Gunnar Fuglestad and his secret boyfriend, Erlend, who belongs to the wealthiest family on their Norwegian island; so when Nils gravely injures Gunnar, she shuns her marriage and moves in with Gunnar and Erlend in a secluded cabin above town--and the three misfits set out to win the annual Christmas...

Amid the whirlwind of festival preparations, the newest members of the Equestrian Club face their first riding competition. Having always been laser focused on his studies, Hachiken has never been tested in a sporting event before. The dedication that marked his academic career has helped Hachiken survive the trials of agricultural school, but the pressure to come out on top nearly crushed him once already. Can Hachiken claim victory on the racecourseover...