Chelsea is part of an international team of archaeologists who are making the most of a tenuous cease-fire in the Syrian civil war to excavate and conserve the historic remains of the ancient kingdom of Ebla. The dramatic discovery of a new library of clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform writing brings to the surface international tensions between Syria and Israel. Will the revelations in the ancient tablets be hijacked by vested interests? Chelsea finds herself caught in the middle of an international tug-of-war. Tensions increase when a small boy finds some tablets inscribed with two types of cuneiform writing that will enable archaeologists to translate the rest of the tablets. The boy and the tablets become the target of international intrigue. Chelsea must enlist the help of Tony, a shadowy character with military training. But Tony is seeking a new life, one that will allow him to deal with his own demons. She must also call on the help of her colleague in the British Museum, Beanie, an IT genius. Chelsea must keep those she loves alive in an international squabble over who can lay claim to being the rightful owners of the tablets-and manage the greatest archaeological discovery of the century.