Deserts of the Heart

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Synopsis

Losing her fiancé and soulmate, as well as her parents, in the 1797 Veracruz Yellow Fever Epidemic, 21-year-old Sofia vows privately that she will never open her heart again. With no prospects at home, she and her beautiful, impetuous sister Valeria, 14, accept positions as governesses to the children on a prosperous but rustic ranch 1600 miles north near the frontier outpost of Santa Fe. As Sofia struggles to adjust to the foreign and culturally complex environment, she uncovers layers of dark family secrets. She also finds herself drawn to the ranch's half Pueblo manager, who considers romantic love a singularly destructive form of madness.