A French scientist named Jean Godin was posted to Ecuador in the 1730s to take measurements in the hope of determining the shape of the earth, and he fell in love with and married the daughter of the Spanish governor there. Ten years later, he returned to France, with instructions for Isabella to follow him--but war broke out, and she was unable to leave for 20 years. Her eventual journey forms the basis of this book--a trip down the Amazon and through the jungle that changed her forever from a spoiled rich girl into an active and courageous woman.
