Marta, the promised bride of rich and noble Don Miguel Moural, knew nothing of what awaited her in South America when she left Spain in 1803 to join him. The marriage was a business arrangement, and she intended to honour her part of the bargain, to help him establish a home on his great estancia of Valdoro and to provide him with an heir. But unused to a society where life held intrigue, violence and passion it was fortunate that Marta was spirited and adventurous.