And they left: A winemaking empire. A forbidden love. An extraordinary woman. (Argentinian writers Emecé)

Is a love able to wait a lifetime? Isabel Ayala is a member of a family dedicated to wine production in Algarrobo, Andalucía. It is the year 1906, and the Ayala family is suffering the consequences of a plague that is destroying vineyards all over Europe. Hunger and hardships grip the town. Isabel, barely a teenager, is in love with Antonio Ruiz, another destitute vineyard owner's son. However, her family decides to marry her off to Paco Reyes, one of the few locals who managed to sell his land before the plague hit. With a husband she doesn't love but who offers her a future, Isabel leaves behind her homeland, family, and love to set sail for the land of opportunities – Argentina. In Mendoza, she and Paco start a vineyard and throw themselves into work with all the vigor of their youth. Although, slowly but surely, fortune begins to smile on them, and the arrival of a child fills Isabel with hope, she cannot forget her first love. Until unexpectedly, Antonio arrives in Mendoza, and the – now forbidden – passion resurfaces as if time had not passed. Isabel will struggle between her calling to build a winery empire and her desire to finally fulfill her heart's dream. "And they went away" is a family saga set in Argentina in the 1900s. Against the backdrop of massive immigration, economic prosperity, and the Centennial celebrations, Viviana Rivero has penned a captivating novel of crossed loves, secrets, separations, and reunions that revolves around a bountiful land and an extraordinary woman.

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