An extraordinarily beautiful Indian princess and a white Englishman fall in love but suffer deeply because of their feelings. Set mostly in Central America in the 1870s, this is one of Haggard's more interesting romantic adventure novels in which the protagonists ultimately journey to an inhabited ancient city hidden in the mountains (perhaps in Guatemala). "... crypto-metaphysical work, which is much removed from Haggard's usual simple adventure stories... Rich in detail, ingenious and well plotted, but weak in characterization at times. The moral message is powerfully conveyed, as is the sense of tragedy. There are occasional minor supernatural elements, but the major prophecy turns out to be false