Ramona, by Helen Hunt Jackson, is the story of a young girl who is half white and half Native American, and she is taken into the care of Senora Moreno, the wealthy owner of a sheep ranch, at the request of her foster mother, who passed away. Senora Moreno is a Spanish woman who gives Ramona every material comfort, but who looks down on her for being of mixed race and is never able to love her or truly accept her as her own.

Eventually, Ramona falls in love with Alessandro, a Native American man who comes to work for Senora Moreno during the sheep shearing. Ramona falls in love with him and leaves with him, against Senora Moreno’s wishes. The two marry, and Ramona returns with Alessandro to his village in Temecula. When they arrive, however, they find that the whites have invaded the village. Then, the couple struggles through a series of hardships as the Europeans settle California and attempt to displace the Native American people. Ramona and Alessandro travel from village to village, but they are continually forced from their homes. During their attempts to find refuge, they suffer the loss of a child and the mental breakdown of Alessandro. Later, after Alessandro dies, Senora Moreno’s son Felipe comes for Ramona and takes her back to his mother’s estate. They then marry and have a family.