Twelve-year-old Annie Thompson used to be friendly and cheerful. She loved her home in Southern California, and she loved school. Now Annie has a secret--one that makes her feel shamed and all alone. When she was nine, an older boy named Lonny molested her more than once, threatening to kill her and her parents if she told. Now in seventh grade, Annie is withdrawn, suspicious, and depressed. Her parents don't understand where the girl they once knew has gone, and she can't tell them. It was her fault, she tells herself. Kids at school sense she's in pain, and they bully her. And then, Precious, a six-year-old brown-and-white Welsh pony with a white star on her forehead, appears in Annie's life. The pony, too, despite the neglect it has received, is a survivor. Together, Annie and Precious embark on a journey that takes them both to a better place.