This historical mystery contains two stories which gradually merge into one. One occurs during 2011, while the other takes place in 1863 during the height of the Civil War. In 2011, after moving to South Carolina, Paul Waring, a retired Connecticut state trooper, and his wife start their new life. Soon after moving, Paul makes a startling discovery. He discovers the remains of a long-forgotten Confederate soldier, along with several Civil War artifacts. Those artifacts include two glass bottles containing several clues he must decipher. Paul determines that one clue concerns the whereabouts of the lost Confederate treasury; a treasury largely comprised of gold and silver coins. He later discovers much of this gold was stolen from the United States government at the outbreak of the Civil War.