A deranged mother, a wayward father, a horde of gold, a naive young man, and a mysterious but beautiful Lady. . . . These are the ingredients of a coming-of-age tale in which our hero grapples with the elements, his sense of morality, and the Devil himself, and eventually finds salvation at the hands of an entirely selfless but sibylline Lady in Green. The Mountain of Gold addresses themes of love, doubt, avarice, and the liberating and redemptive powers of self-sacrifice.