First published 2026
Six-year-old Beddou clutches six amber beads from his mother as he leaves his High Atlas village to begin an apprenticeship far from home. In the Sultan's palace in Fes, a magnificent Arabian filly is born. For a brief time, the mare belongs to Beddou. Then a soldier steals her and vanishes into France as World War I erupts. Beddou vows to find his horse despite the impossible odds. In France, Estelle discovers the distressed mare wandering in a meadow behind her house. She cares for the beautiful creature as tenderly as she tends her vulnerable younger brother. War tears her world apart, and she loses both the horse and her brother. Thomas, an English veterinarian hardened by wartime service, finds the mare and promises to protect her and the woman who loved her. He doubts his ability to keep anyone safe. The mare's journey connects these three lives across Morocco and France. Their separate paths converge as they make choices that will transform their futures. The story follows their search for connection and healing in a world torn by war.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, war, adventure
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, search
Setting: High Atlas, Fes, France, Morocco
Period: World War I
336 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: war