Quest for the Silver Mustang

In 1830, fourteen year old Lisbet McTavish embarks on a perilous quest. She wants to find friends who will accept her unusual self and the silver mustang she has ridden so many times in her medicine dreams. Her hidden heritage links her to the spirit world of our Native Americans. Her spirit guide is a falcon. She is a lonely, imaginative, and impulsive child who enjoys unfeminine activities, such as riding astride, swimming, fishing, and hunting. Her father is a doctor, a natural scientist, and a horse whisper. His mother was an Ottawa medicine woman, but he has chosen to pass for white. Lisbet plays many warrior games with him and helps in his research. They work together to aid escaped slaves and rescue abused horses. Lisbet's mother is dead and a freedwoman looks after them. Their home is in what will become West Virginia on the southern bank of the Potomac River.

When they are caught helping escaped slaves, they are forced to leave Virginia. Dr. McTavish obtains a post as Chief Surgeon at Fort Gibson in what will become Oklahoma. They travel together to Pittsburgh to a keelboat which takes them down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and up the Arkansas River to Fort Gibson. In Tennessee, an army family joins them and the son becomes Lisbet's friend. On their long journey, they have to deal with thieves, river pirates, men who abuse horses, slave catchers, gamblers, and an epidemic. When they reach Fort Gibson, they make friends with an Osage scout and hunter. After Lisbet saves his life, he invites them to visit his village.

Lisbet's unusual heritage and upbringing help her survive on the bloody frontier. Her adventures force her to face the reality of pain, cruelty, suffering, and death. On her journey, she chooses to become a warrior who uses her skills to resist villains and aid victims, both human and equine. Before her spirit guide allows her to find her silver mustang, she must understand and accept the risks taken by all those who are at odds with their society. She becomes a caring, sensitive adult.