This final novel in the California Gold trilogy carries forward the family sagas of Indian Mary and the first settlers, while introducing fictional Mae Duffy, 16. Mae breaks free of Sacramento's urban underworld and corrupted government, where girls are political favors, and learns about life from two old women: Ah Sen and Indian Mary. She also finds love with Mary's son Billy McCoon, the last man of the People -- until her past comes to haunt them. An action-packed romp through Victorian times. This sweeping, turn-of-the-century epic is at times terrifying, and yet intimate and deeply satisfying. 1893-1910, with epilog beyond.