When a massive earthquake strikes California no one could have predicted the astonishing discoveries that were to follow: as a swimming pool sinks into the earth, it reveals the entrance to a previously unknown cave. Archaelogist Erica Tyler knows this could be one of the finds of the century, and when she arrives at the scene her instincts are proved right: she finds an age-old cave painting, whose vibrant colours and symbols mark the world of the shaman; a pair of spectacles that predate known European colonisation; and further strange and astonishing artefacts. But most astonishing of all are the human remains of someone known only as the 'First Mother', dating back almost 2000 years. However, angry local homeowners want the cave filled in and their lives back to normal as soon as possible and Jared Black, formidable campaigner for the Native American Heritage Commission, wants the site claimed for the relevant tribe. Erica refuses to back down as a childhood of foster homes meant she grew up never knowing her real identity and she won't let the First Mother be consigned to history in the same manner.

"Two thousand years ago, there was a great bay and a peaceful land filled with sage, citrus trees, and pine. And there was a tribe called the Topaa. Marimi, a healer in her tribe, is unprepared for what fate holds in store for her. Without her knowledge, her actions place her under the watchful, suspicious gaze of a rival... and Marimi's family is placed under a curse that impacts how their legacy unfolds. From prehistoric California to the days of Spanish explorers, from the time of California colonialism to the swashbuckling cowboy days of early Los Angeles and right up to the present day, Sacred Ground tells the story of the female descendants of Marimi. It tells of their loves, their betrayals, their losses, their families, and their ruthless ambitions that would forge a new country..."