Wanted on a false charge of desertion by the American army, with no memory of the other world, Nick Herron has found a new and agreeable life as captain of The Raymond Lull, a dive boat operating out of the small Caribbean port of Kingstown. A cryptic letter sends Nick and two of his crew, Krish and Jennifer, to the offshore islet of Dantes Key where they discover an ancient yacht filled with gold. Back in Kingstown a quiet evening of celebration turns violent with the arrival of a party of drunken soldiers. Nick regains consciousness to find himself floating half dead in the water beside his burning boat. He is rescued by Gus, his first mate, who smuggles him across the border to Belize. He is nursed back to health by an aged Mayan curandera and a beautiful but possibly mentally unstable American girl. His journey is just beginning.