When a young woman decides to investigate her father's death in Mexico, she unexpectedly receives the help and protection of a man who ought to have been her enemy considering they were on opposite sides of a war, and they begin to fall in love. Antoinette is the daughter of a French army officer, Alphonse, who served in Mexico during the French Intervention. The year the French army begins to withdraw from France, Antoinette arrives in Mexico to find that her father has been shot dead, it is blamed on cross-fire. She doesn't believe it, judging by the placement of the single bullet wound in her father's body, and intends to investigate. But Diego, the handsome, steely-eyed young Mexican officer in charge of the front, seems to dislike her and orders to take the next ship back to France. To his great displeasure, however, Antoinette insists on remaining.
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The narration is all from Antoinette's point of view. She begins asking questions of the men who knew Alphonse, and it begins to emerge it always seemed like her father was hiding something. Diego constantly butts heads with Antoinette, sparring with her when she tries to ask his men questions as well. There is a fragile peace and ceasefire between the Mexican and French troops as the French are withdrawing, but by no means is there any friendliness. As a woman in the 1860s, Antoinette draws shocked and puzzled eyes as she investigates her father's life and death independently, talking to soldiers and moving unescorted by a chaperone. Diego, however, does not seem to care about propriety as much as getting Antoinette out. However, when out riding Antoinette is nearly hit by a huge boulder rolling down a hill towards her - it is only the timely intervention of Diego that saves her from death. From then on, Diego decides to help her. He confesses to her that her father Alphonse loved a local woman named Maria, a witch who raised Diego when he was an orphan boy, but Antoinette's father spurned her as the conflict between the French and Mexican forces grew. It emerged that Maria was a spy for the Mexican nobility, and in her affair had actually leaked many secrets to Alphonse. Antoinette and Diego trace the letters Maria sent and begin to hunt her down, dodging attempts on their life as they piece together that Marie killed Antoinette's father both to protect herself and to avenge her feelings of spurned love. Diego and Antoinette do not quite trust each other yet, but their attraction is growing and Antoinette is definitely fascinated with him.
Antoinette breaks into Maria's house in Puebla, only to find Maria gone and her servants dead. Antoinette is charged with murder by a neighbor who discovers her with the dead bodies and spends a night in jail before Diego secretly breaks in and frees her, explaining that she was set up. They dodge the Puebla police and ride hard on horseback into the countryside to the place where Diego grew up - and find Maria in hiding there. She confesses that she killed Antoinette's father, and then attacks Antoinette, only to be shot by Diego. Antoinette is moved that Diego killed a woman he had known for years to protect her, and is overwhelmed by emotions as Diego takes her in his arms and vows to protect her. Antoinette comforts him as well and knows that nobody else could understand her and excite her the way he does, and they kiss. Antoinette never returns to France, but marries her Mexican army officer and stays in Mexico.
Best part of story, including ending:
I hated the exotic Latin lover angle and exotic Latin country angle.
Best scene in story:
A flashback scene of Alphonse sitting Antoinette in his lap on their porch in France and singing a folk song to her. It was tender and nice.
Opinion about the main character:
I disliked Antoinette for being stupid and reckless and endangering herself and Diego instead of being a competent adult.
