Between his father's sudden-and rather suspicious-generosity, and his own rash promise to help Christine plan her wedding, Percival Endicott Whyborne has quite enough to worry about. But when the donation of a mysterious codex to the Ladysmith Museum draws the attention of a murderous cult, Whyborne finds himself in a race against time to unlock its secrets first. Griffin has a case of his own: the disappearance of an historic map, which quickly escalates to murder. Someone is sacrificing men in dark rituals-and all the clues lead back to the museum. With their friends Christine and Iskander, Whyborne and Griffin must discover the cult's true goal before it's too late. For dark forces are afoot at the very heart of the museum, and they want more than Whyborne's codex. They want his life.