Amy is a 15-year-old girl growing up in Hudson, Alberta with a serious love of horses. She discovers that a horse named Spartan is being abused at Mallen's farm and convinces her mother, Marion, to rescue him. A storm on the way home sends their truck and trailer off the road and onto a steep hill, crashing into a tree. When Amy wakes up, she's in the hospital and discovers that her mother died in the accident. Amy's sister Lou comes home from New York City to help. Refusing to put Spartan down, Grandpa Jack brings the horse back to Heartland hoping that Amy can help him. Before Amy can help Spartan, she has to come to terms with what happened to her mom. The new ranch hand, Ty, starts working and he was hired by Marion before she died.