Isabel Le Roux leads an unfulfilled life in the city of Chelsea, an enclave nestled in California's San Fernando Valley. When she stumbles upon a reference to a mysterious artifact in her late father's papers and discovers that his pursuit of the ancient figurine led nowhere, her interest is piqued. Determined to solve the mystery, she makes a shocking discovery, and is catapulted into an intriguing web of murder, greed, and deceit. Unaware of her perilous situation, she follows the clues. Where will it take her, and how far is she willing to go in pursuit of the elusive figurine? In the summer of 1810, young Tala is about to embark on a coming of age journey. Fate intervenes when Spanish soldiers arrive at her village, and her Chumash way of life is irrevocably changed. Her tribe members are lured to the San Buenaventura Mission under false pretenses, where they witness unspeakable atrocities. The gripping tale of two strong women, living centuries apart, interweaves in this amateur detective tome.