Guests entered the theater, a replica of the Bernard Maybeck façade of San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, a famed Bay Area landmark constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.

As the show began, two tall art deco statues of a single goddess-like woman, one on either side of a film projection screen, were bathed in golden light.

Goldberg appeared in some of the filmed sequences that followed as Calafia—in disguise—to comment or offer encouraging words to various characters who found themselves in challenging situations.

After the establishment of California, events such as the troubles endured by Chinese laborers working on the railroad and miners during the Gold Rush of 1849 were presented.

A powerful dramatization showed the crushed hopes of one young picture bride whose husband was far older than represented in the photo he provided.

The song at the end, "Just One Dream", was written by Walter Afanasieff and performed by Heather Headley, an actress known for originating the parts of Nala in the Broadway version of The Lion King and of the title character in Aida.

As described by Jennette McCurdy in her 2022 autobiography, one of her first acting roles was for this film, where she appears as a young girl in a car during the scene about the Great Depression.