Mourning the recent loss of her mom, Tess McLeod must forge a new way of life. She travels back to Drover’s Run, the ranch where her father Jack cares for cattle along with her half- sister Tess and Tess’s fiancée, Rod Morgan. Claire blames Tess for Jack’s alcoholism, which she claims started after Tess’ mom left him. She suddenly leaves, thinking she is not welcome. When Jack offers her to run the ranch, she refuses. Driving out of town, Jack follows her on horseback and blocks the car, forcing it to stop. When she honks the horn, the horse is spooked and falls, killing Jack.
As the family mourns the loss, Tess grapples with her grief over being responsible for his death. She asks Claire to stay on the property and “fix the mess she’s made.” Going to the bank, they discover Drover’s Run is in deep financial trouble. They plan to sell the stock they have available but enlist the help of friends in town to help. But not everyone in town respects women running a ranch.
The girls challenge the boys in town to win the challenge cup at Drover’s Run, a trophy owned by their dad Jack for horse racing. While the boys are getting ready, Tess asks Becky to bet $5,000 on the other team’s horse to win the race. When Claire rides Oscar to try to win the cup herself, she loses control, and Rod and Tess save her. The other team wins, earning the ladies a significant amount of cash to pay off the interest on their debts. Rod and Claire decide they were not meant for each other, and they care more about the ranch than they do for each other. Tess tells Claire she cashed in her ticket back home to bet on the horse. But Tess decides to stay to run the ranch.
This movie is a good family film, based on teamwork and forgiveness. Although forgiveness is not explicitly stated, Claire and Tess bury the hatchet in order to carry on their dad’s wishes for both girls to run the ranch. However, there is some mild language, and violence. Despite these, it has earned the Dove Seal of Approval for Ages 12+.
