An old German cigarette tin from WW 2 is found on the banks of a Canadian river by a young boy using a metal detector. A delightful story turns deadly as the boy and his mother are soon found floating face down in Lake Erie. The mother's sister hires private investigator Rory Mack Steele to investigate and she disappears mysteriously, leaving Steele to battle alone against an evil force from the shadows of the past. A force looking for a secret code to unlock massive hidden wealth and deadly power that will plunge the world back into an era when the flames of war raged across the face of the globe and untold millions lost their lives.