"I love all horses, all breeds, all temperaments, but the one quality I can't stand in a horse or a human is cowardice," says horse trainer Simon O' Shaughnessy. But where does that leave his boyfriend, Eric Vandermark? Eric has resigned himself to a settled, if somewhat dull existence, teaching history at an all-boys Catholic school. His life is very different from that of his boyfriend, Simon. Simon's days are filled with rambunctious horses (and sometimes even more rambunctious horse owners). When Eric's authority over his students challenged by a tough-as-nails running coach at his school, he realizes he has to find the courage within himself to meet new challenges, though no one else believes he's capable of showing this kind of fearlessness, including and perhaps especially Simon.