Born into Old-World elegance, beautiful Maria Espinosa lost her parents and her fortune when plague ravaged Mexico City. Now she lay in the blazing heat of the Santa Fe trail, sole survivor of a brutal Apache raid. Rescued by Diego Masferrer, Maria came to love the bold young rancher -- and the harsh beauty of life on his hacienda. But a savage feud smoldered in the American Southwest, between the Spanish conquerors and the Indians they enslaved -- a conflict that burned in her own uneasy heart. For even as she adored Diego, she was drawn to his fierce half-breed brother Cristobal, who vowed himself to possess her. Soon a bloody Indian uprising would set brother against brother -- and force Maria to choose the one proud man who would forever share her destiny.