Annie loves to read and learn about the world outside of the hills and woodlands she knows. Her reading skills are improving all the time thanks to her new friend and Pack Horse librarian, Sarah Deane, who comes courtesy of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Sarah Deane travels miles on her loyal and steadfast horse, Harvey Lou, to deliver stories or news to folks in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky. Up hills, down into valleys, and across creeks she goes, following trails either thick with mud or dust dry. One day, when Harvey Lou arrives at Annie’s simple home with an empty saddle and a note in his saddlebag, Annie realizes that her beloved Pack Horse librarian needs her help. As the sky darkens and a bad storm rolls in, Annie and Harvey Lou set off to save Sarah Deane’s life.