In colonial Chile, 1832, the infant Eliza is found on the doorstep of the British Import and Export Company. Adopted by the maternal Miss Rose, she is raised dutifully, with Victorian piety and propriety. But as a young woman, Eliza falls in love with the wildly inappropriate Joaquín Andieta – and when he leaves for the gold-laden hills of California, she can't help but follow.
With the aid of newfound friends, Eliza finds a place for herself in this burgeoning society; and while she came to California for someone else, what was once a search for love transforms into a profound discovery of her own freedom.