Taken from her conquered Californio family during the 1846 Mexican-American War to be forced into marriage with a Yankee she despises, proud Spanish beauty, Maria Vasquez, draws a knife, and begins her journey to the far side of the sea. She will flee to Valparaiso, Boston, and finally San Francisco trying to forget the blood on her hands, only to find it is blood that will save her. Dashing American ship captain, Dominic Mason, will win Maria's heart, but shatter it when he rejects her for another, setting her on a journey back to San Francisco. There she discovers her heart can never be conquered, it must only be surrendered, not just to the man she loves, but to the God who will never let her go. Captain Dominic Mason knows how to fulfill his duties. He's living for God and country, determined to obey the Almighty and help bring California into the Union. Yet death and the devil's deception will rob him of all he holds dear in San Francisco. As California rises to statehood amid the madness of the gold rush, men will die for gold and for Maria. Will she ever escape the darkness that enslaves her in San Francisco and discover the everlasting light and love she so longs for? Far Side of the Sea is the second book in the California Rising trilogy.