The Connecticut countryside, 1777. A messenger arrives at Sybil Ludington's farm with bad news. British soldiers are starting to burn villages in the area. Someone must alert the colonial militia, and the messenger is too tired. Sybil volunteers to ride from farm to farm through the dark forest. Can she rouse the soldiers in time?

Marsha Amstel has practiced psychotherapy and family therapy in the Putnam County area for the past 30 years. Her office is in Putnam Valley, New York, and her favorite activities include walking, snowshoeing, and kayaking—very near the route that Sybil Ludington rode so long ago.