In the rugged expanse of a fading family ranch, sixteen-year-old Colton clings to a thermos of whiskey-laced coffee to chase away the shadows of his father's abandonment. But when a foggy-headed ride leaves his loyal horse, Pistol, gravely injured, Colton's world buckles under the weight of his mistakes. With the season's dreams shattered and the ranch teetering on ruin, he mounts a wild black filly for a desperate trek through merciless scrub, hunting wild herbs that might mend what's broken. As sweat and clarity burn away the haze, Colton grapples with the poison in his veins-and the chance for redemption that could heal more than just a bowed tendon. A raw, heart-pounding story of grit, guilt, and growing up in the unforgiving West.
