Ken returns from school with poor grades, disappointing his father. His mother convinces his father to let Ken choose a horse, but he picks an injured filly instead of a colt. Can he nurse her back to health?

Ken McLaughlin struggles to please his family in any way. He comes back from boarding school boasting poor grades and facing going through the fifth grade again, much to his fathers dismay. Ken's mother, Nell, manages to persuade his father Rob to let him choose a colt from the herd for himself. He instead chooses a sorrel chestnut filly, who becomes injured soon after. Can Ken nurse the filly back to full health?—Jess Elson

Ken (Roddy McDowell) and his parents live on a superbly beautiful horse ranch which, however, is not always profitable. Ken's father (Preston Foster) has seen example after example of Ken's irresponsibility, including catastrophic school grades. Young Ken nevertheless dreams of owning his own colt. His father is in agreement, but can't see rewarding Ken's behavior. His mother Nell (Rita Johnson), of a more practical bent, persuades her husband that owning a colt would teach Ken responsibility and give him much needed confidence, and he quickly sees the wisdom of her argument. Ken, much to his father's chagrin, unwisely chooses a filly of very questionable lineage who immediately seriously injures herself in a barbed wire accident, jeopardizing her future -- and Ken's as well.—Sharon