IntheYucatán,AlanGrahamdiscoverseitherthegreatestfindofthetwentiethcentury—orthegreatesthoaxSearchingtheGulfofMexicoforthelegendaryIsleofGold,anexplorerandhiscrewsailintoacyclone,whichtearsaparttheirship,nailbynail.Whenhecomesto,thecaptainisalone,capturedbynativesandfacingunfathomableformsoftorture.Centurieslater,archaeologistAlanGrahamexperiencesatormentofhisownintheYucatánwhenhisbelovedwifeskipsoutontheirvacation—andtheirmarriage.HereturnstoMexicotovisithislover,PepperCourtney,whoisthereonadig,butfindsthatshehasabandonedhimtoo:Shehasgoneintothejunglesearchingforevidenceofalong-lostvoyageofexploration.Grahamchasesafterherandtheyfindsomethingthatcouldrewritehistory—iftheymanagetoescapethejunglealive.