Christina, a member of the Apsáalooke tribe, has just had her twelfth birthday. As a present, her father gives her a beautiful buckskin horse, and her grandmother promises to help Christina make her jingle dress. All seems to be going well until an accident disrupts the plan to ride her horse in the Crow Fair. Christina learns that even the best-laid plans sometimes fail. But with the guidance of her grandparents, she is able to find the answers she seeks.