During the years that followed World War II, Nora Mahler led a perfect life. With her two teenage children, Simon and Clea, who inherited her love of horses, she ran the family ranch on the banks of the Missouri River. When Simon is killed in a riding accident, Nora's world is shattered. Mad with grief, Nora's husband, Neal, dismantles her business, sends the horses away, and demands that she sell the farm. When she refuses, he leaves, taking Clea with him to Chicago.

After they've gone, Ozzie Clark, a horse wrangler, who has longed for Nora since they were teenage lovers, comes to help her rebuild the ranch. With Ozzie and Malaak, the Arabian filly they train together, Nora finds happiness of a kind she never knew with her husband. As she spends time with Ozzie - working in the stables or watching the sun set over the river at the end of the day - she wonders, "What would we do if we had the opportunity to love each other again?".

But before Nora and Ozzie can realize that passion, Neal comes back, determined to claim what he believes is his.