Award-winning young-adult novelist Eileen Charbonneau now turns her storytelling powers and lauded historical research to her first adult novel: the epic story of two people drawn together from dramatically different spheres of society.

As the turn of the century, San Francisco is a far cry from its gold rush days. The railroads have ushered in an era of rapid change and industrialization in California. In the mansions on Russian Hill, powerful men build financial empires by pillaging a landscape rich in natural resources.

The daughter of a lumber baron, Olana Whittaker is struggling to make it on her own as a journalist for the Gold Coast Chronicle. She resents having to use a male pseudonym to be read seriously.

Covering the grand opening from Sequoia National Parks, Olana meets forest ranger Matthew Hart, who speaks with passion on the need for protecting nature. Hart has little time for people, especially those who destroy forests. But when the pair are trapped in an early blizzard, Olana learns to appreciate both Hart and the land he is fighting to protect from men like her father.

Over the years that follow, Olana and Matt will part - and come together again - as they live through the turbulent early years of the new century and learn the heartbreaks and joys that come with living, loving, and pursuing their destinies.