The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Summary

The story is narrated by a 9-year-old Armenian boy named Aram. One early morning, his 13-year-old cousin Mourad (who is considered the 'crazy' one in the family) taps on his window. Aram is shocked to see Mourad sitting on a magnificent, pure white horse. Aram knows his family (the Garoghlanian tribe) is incredibly poor. They can't even afford enough food, let alone buy a horse. However, the tribe is world-famous for its absolute, unshakeable honesty. Nobody in the tribe would ever steal. Aram concludes that Mourad must have stolen it, but justifies it by believing that 'borrowing' a horse just to ride is not the same as stealing money.

For the next few weeks, the boys hide the horse in a deserted vineyard during the day and take it out for joyful, thrilling rides early every morning. Mourad claims he has a 'way with horses' and can control the majestic animal perfectly, while Aram struggles and often falls off.

One afternoon, an Assyrian farmer named John Byro visits Aram's house. He sadly complains to Aram's uncle that his beautiful white horse was stolen a month ago, and without it, his carriage is useless. Aram realizes Mourad has had the horse for weeks.

One morning, while the boys are hiding the horse, they accidentally run directly into John Byro. John Byro closely examines the horse, even looking into its mouth. He knows it is his horse. However, because he knows the legendary reputation of the Garoghlanian family for total honesty, he refuses to believe the boys are thieves. He simply says, 'A suspicious man would believe his eyes instead of his heart... this must be the twin of my horse.'

Deeply moved by John Byro's absolute trust in their family's honor, the boys' conscience is finally awakened. The very next morning, they quietly return the horse to John Byro's barn. Later, Byro happily reports that his returned horse is stronger and better-tempered than ever before.