Black Gold
In mid-19th-century Costa Rica, President Juan Rafael Mora vows to defend his nation from American filibuster and slaver William Walker, who has seized nearby Nicaragua. Flashbacks trace Moraâs rise from reformist coffee planter to national leader, modernizing his familyâs plantation with fair wages and new methods. Guided by love, loss, and his cautious brother-in-law, JosĂ© MarĂa Montealegre, Mora builds trade ties with British merchant William Le Lacheur. In 1856, Costa Ricans defeat Walker, but cholera devastates the land. Betrayed by Montealegre, Mora is executedâlike Walkerâundone by ambition and historyâs cruel turns.