In the 1840s, California is a land of missions and ranchos, of Spanish grandees and winsome senoritas. Then comes the Gold Rush -- and with it comes the tide of empire as prospectors flood in, ignorant of the culture they destroy with their avarice. This history is the backdrop for a fast-paced story of handsome gold seeker Dermot D'Arcy, who wins a rancho in a horse race -- then tries to win the proud daughter of the former owner. She
