William Bergsma was a precocious teenager who had written both a play and an orchestral composition by the time he was fifteen and chose music over drama as his life's work. After two years at Stanford, he left his native California in 1940 to study at the Eastman School in Rochester, New York. During his first year there he wrote this, his second ballet, a witty and colorful little work he called "a cheerful and inaccurate recollection of my California homeland."

The ballet is loosely based on Bret Hart's short story "The Right Eye of the Commandante" and is set during the days of Spanish rule in California. Characters include a polyglot mixture of nationalities, the Commandante, his lovely daughter, other attractive young ladies, a Yankee sea captain, and a Friar, plus a contingent of Russians from Fort Ross, some Digger Indians, and some Chinese.

The Commandante is happy in the tranquil world of his backwater village, but the arrival of the newcomers brings trouble. The Russians woo the se-oritas, leading to a clash with the young se-ores ("Furious Dance of the Bearded Russians"). This rouses the local Digger Indians. The arrival of the Chinese prompts the Friar into action, for he now feels duty-bound to convert someone. The Yankee discovers gold, causing an outburst of action ("Chase Music"). Thus prodded into action, the Commandante has all the troublemakers chased out of town, setting everything right just in time for everyone to have a nap, just before the final curtain. The music is bright and unsubtle, designed to be pure fun.

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