Zahn, her sister Alexandra and her horse Brigadier have joined their estranged father and his girlfriend for a week’s holiday in the Harkerville forest near Plettenberg Bay. Brigadier has come along to the forest cottage, specifically chosen for its stables and facilities for horses. Zahn meets two local boys who invite her to go riding in the dense forest. But Zahn feels an unease in Brigadier. Is it just because he misses the wide open spaces of Melkbosstrand? Should she have paid more attention to Sibella’s warnings about night spirits? While the family’s differences come to the fore, the holiday also reveals a deep forest secret.