Jacob Cooper has tortured himself for a year, ever since his pregnant wife disappeared. After finding her car abandoned on Harper Ranch, he takes a job there, breaking horses. When his search through miles of surrounding hills turns up empty, he finds himself lost in a world of guilt and loneliness, yearning for the day a wild horse will finally break him.
Suzannah Harper's high school sweetheart has long since passed from youthful boyfriend to bearded stalker. When a judge denies a restraining order, her pursuer's aggression escalates. Suzannah flees to Montana to find sanctuary. Within minutes of setting foot on Harper Ranch, a bear of a man tackles her to the ground. All Suzannah sees are black eyes set over a cruel beard. And yet, this cowhand is not her stalker. A close look into those chilling eyes and she knows: they are not pits of evil, but windows to an anguished soul. Suzannah pushes her own torment aside to rescue Jake. She willโshe mustโhelp him find his wife, even when it means she can never have him.
At first, the voiceless Suzannah exasperates Jake beyond reason. But as Jake witnesses Suzannah's daily sufferingโsimply to be heardโhe finally understands that strength and vulnerability are two sides of the same coin. If he can muster similar strength, he canโhe willโhelp Suzannah accept her affliction and forge ahead, or she will be lost to him forever.