California, isolated by huge ranges of mountains and a vast expanse of desert, was once an island to itself. Here, between the forests of the Pacific coast and the peaks of the Sierra Nevada, lay a sun-drenched paradise that long ago had been discovered and settled by many different Indian tribes who flourished on its natural bounty. In the 'golden age' of the Spanish missions this ancient world began to change; then came the Americans in the rush for real gold. In their quest for wealth, the settlers swept aside an old world and replaced it with a new one. In California, the frontier finally ran out.