This magnificent novel tells the story of Gregory Reeves, the son of Charles, an itinerant preacher. As a boy, Gregory accepts the endless journeying and poverty which is his family's lot, never questioning the validity of his father's homespun philosophy of life - the Infinite Plan. But, as manhood approaches, Gregory finds himself increasingly possessed of a yearning to escape. Hankering after worldly wealth, he longs to break away from the barrio, the teeming Hispanic ghetto of downtown Los Angeles where his family has finally settled......

Eliza is a foundling. Discovered on the doorstep of the British Import and Export Company in 1830s Chile, she is eagerly adopted by Miss Rose Sommers, who keeps house for her two brothers, a businessman and a sea captain. But although Rose is determined to turn her into a proper English lady, headstrong Eliza determinedly charts her own course.