Between the two world wars, on a hike in the English countryside, Professor John Hill takes refuge from a violent storm in a cave where he makes an astonishing discovery--an ancient manuscript housed in a cunningly crafted metal box. As he uncovers an epic that both enchants and inspires him, he meets a man keenly interested in obtaining artifacts from a long-lost civilization that he believes was the creation of a superior race, and will help him fulfill his ambition to rule other men.