Shasta, the adopted son of a Tarkheena fisherman, has always dreamed of finding out what lies to the north. One day a noble lord comes to their house. This lord’s horse is no ordinary one—it is a free, talking horse of Narnia. Naturally, the master knows nothing about it. The horse offers Shasta an escape, for he recognizes in him a native of the north. Thus begin the adventures of the horse and the boy. On the way, they, along with another pair—the Narnian mare Hwin and her mistress, a noble Tarkheena girl fleeing her hateful stepmother—will have to endure a great deal: a journey through the capital of Tarchistan, Tashbaan, a crossing of the desert, and much more before they reach Narnia and Archenland.