When Uncle Daney, a crippled logger, comes to live with the family, 12-year-old Cole expects someone big and tough. But Uncle Daney is a gentle, bright-eyed old man in a wheelchair. He does bring someone big, though, his draft horse Nip.

The family can't afford a horse, but Uncle Daney is determined to keep Nip, and has his own way of getting things done. Cole soon finds himself learning to use a draft horse, and learning how to wait for opportunity, then seize it. "A finely crafted tale of human ingenuity in the face of hardship." (SLJ)