A game of hide-and-seek uncovers an unexpected treasure chest of "riches" for Carrie and Landon, who are visiting their grandparents' old store in the Gold Country of Northern California. The two modern day children discover a secret room containing letters dating back to the 1850's. While Carrie and Landon's grandma reads the letters to them, readers are transported back in time to get a glimpse into the lives of the early Chinese pioneers who came to the "Gold Mountain" in search of gold and opportunity during the California Gold Rush. The story was inspired by a school project created by the author's daughter when she was studying California history in the fourth grade. After doing some research, Ms. Yamada discovered that at the peak of the California Gold Rush one out of every five miners was, in fact, Chinese, numbering close to 50,000 Chinese miners. Set against this historical backdrop, the author sets out to create composite characters and imaginary letters that embody the hopes, dreams and struggles of the Chinese sojourners of long ago. Echoes of Gold Mountain adds another dimension to the events of the California Gold Rush by shedding light on the people who were often overlooked in American history.