This classic story is about a boy and his horse on a ranch, in the West of America. The story is set approximately in the mid-20s. Ken, the boy, starts out as a daydreamer who has failed his exams at school and must repeat the fifth grade. His father does not know what to do with him because Ken is losing saddle blankets and letting horses run away. This means his father, Rob McLaughlin, cannot give Ken what he wants the most in the world: a colt.
Ken’s older brother, Howard, got a colt three years ago, when he was one year younger than Ken is now. But Howard is responsible. “He deserves a colt.” says Rob.
Nell, Ken’s mother, convinces Rob to give her younger son a colt. She tells him it will make Ken more responsible and awake. So Rob agrees.
In the herd is a mare called Rocket. She is the daughter of a terrible stallion, who was completely loco, and this mare has inherited the bad blood, as have all her siblings and offspring. This line of horses is untamable and its members spend their time crashing through fences and hurting themselves. But their speed is completely incomparable. They can reach thirty-five miles an hour (fifty-six kilometers) and would make stupendous racehorses if they could only be tamed.
Ken has one week to choose his colt. They are all so beautiful and he cannot choose, so his father narrows it down for him. “Horse or filly?” he asks. “I’ll take a horse colt,” replies Ken. But after seeing the two-year-old horses gelded, he decides it would be better to choose a filly. This is when he sees her. Flicka. Fast, beautiful and independent, with a beautiful golden coat, Ken falls in love with her as soon as he sees her.
Unfortunately, she is the daughter of Rocket. Ken’s family is angry and hesitant to let him choose this wild filly and try to convince him otherwise. No-one, no-one has ever tamed one of the loco horses. But Ken is firm. He is sure that he can train the filly.
Meanwhile, Rob McLaughlin is trying to sell Rocket, the untamable loco black mare. He takes the Charley Sargent for a ride in the car to show him Rocket’s speed and everyone is very impressed with the amazing speed, so Charley accepts to buy her. But first, Rob must catch her…
