From the time she was little, Julia Morgan wanted to know how everything fit together. Her family often visited San Francisco, where she could puzzle over the many new buildings under construction there. Julia desperately wanted to be an architect—but in the late nineteenth century that was rare for a woman.

Julia was not deterred. After several rejections, she finally made it into the prestigious all-male École des Beaux Arts, in Paris. She also became California's first licensed female architect and designed over 800 buildings, including newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst's magnificent San Simeon. With exquisite illustrations, this is the story of a spirited pioneer.