The old, decaying turn-of-the-century hunting estate known as Flambards lay before twelve-year-old Christina after her long journey. Recently orphaned, the young girl finds herself living in an unfamiliar social world with relatives she does not know--her crippled Uncle Russell and her cousins, Mark, a strong hunter, and Will, who dreams of flying aeroplanes. This new world introduces Christina to what will become one of her life-long passions--horses--as well as to the man she falls in love with and eventually marries. Choosing Will over Mark, Christina and her husband-to-be leave Flambards and the dying class-driven society it stands for behind. The young couple elopes just before the start of World War I, and Will fulfills his dreams of becoming a pilot only to be killed during the war. Surviving this new tragic loss, Christina returns to Flambards as a twenty-one-year- old widow, heroically determined to give new life to...