Pale truth

the long version

"In 1849, San Francisco's gold fever sparked an unprecedented maelstrom of opportunity that drew the eccentric, corrupt, powerful and cunning from every corner of the known world. ... In the eye of this Midas storm comes an unusual woman from the South--Mary Ellen--a lady whose cultured demeanor masks a deep personal secret. ... She is the haunting Pale truth, determined to end slavery in America, and to transform San Francisco into the Pearl of the Pacific. But everything has a price, even for Mary Ellen."--Jacket.