Abandoned because of his destructive and violent behaviour, nine-year-old Toby faces a future of moving from one foster family to another as they to tire of his tantrums. Arthur, Toby’s grandfather risks estrangement from his only child and his family to see that Toby gets a chance to live a valued life. Finding a reason for the tantrums may have eluded an endless roster of Toby’s doctors, quacks and other medical professionals. However, Arthur believes, that inside Toby lives a good kid and so, from a troubled beginning the they thrive and showing a promise for story telling, Toby is given an ancient an ancient desk.

A relic from the early Twentieth Century the desk holds secrets of the last case Private Detective Shamus O'Toole had been working on before dying in suspicious circumstances.

Toby’s longing to reconnect with his father and step-sisters, bursts back into his life after a truck accident hospitalises his father. Torn by his desire to link the clues found in the detective’s diary and reconnecting with his family, finds Toby conflicted, but he pressed on with his quest to resolve the diary’s questions. Arthur though is smitten with his granddaughters and begins taking Toby for granted. Tracey his step-mother begins to offer comfort until accusing him of falling into his old ways, shunning him again. Unable to please any of his family Toby finds a friend in Lizard a palliative care ward patient in the Royal Melbourne Hospital. A most unlikely person to enter Toby’s life is another link to Shamus and the ring dangling from a grubby cord hanging around Lizard’s neck solves a one hundred year old mystery.

Unable to resist the temptation of adventure Toby and his friends climb deep into the forgotten tunnels under Melbourne in search of adventure, and long lost treasure.