An aging recluse's discovery of a concealed vault and an obsessive musical motif sets in motion an expedition to locate hidden wealth around a lakeside estate. A compact of adventurers follows charts and clues, traveling by launch, threading woods and secret passages, and probing caverns and recesses. Along the way they face violence, sudden explosions, pits and periods of entombment, and signs that a woman's initiative will prove pivotal. The narrative balances methodical clue-solving with escalating physical peril and the interplay of greed, cunning, and survival.