Orphaned at birth, Eliza Sommers is raised in the British colony of Valparaiso, Chile, by a well-intentioned Victorian spinster, Miss Rose, and her brother Jeremy. Just as she meets and falls in love with the highly unsuitable Joaquin Andieta, a lowly clerk who works for Jeremy, gold is discovered in the hills of northern California. By 1849, Chileans everywhere have fallen prey to feverish dreams of wealth. Joaquin takes off for San Francisco to seek his fortune and Eliza, pregnant with his child, decides to follow.

So begins Isabel Allende's enchanting new novel, 'Daughter of Fortune', a sweeping portrait of an era, a story rich in character, history, violence and compassion.