When American pioneers set their hearts on a California valley where Indians had been living for thousands of years, a period of uneasy appraisal emerged, followed by conflict and soon enough by genocide. The epic greed and violence of the 1850's and 60's has been brushed aside by history, conveniently forgotten in the pride of conquest. Rush of Shadows brings to life two freethinking women, Mellie, a white, and Bahé, an Indian, who endure the clash of their cultures and come to an unlikely understanding.