Nearly five centuries ago an ancient Andean people hid a hoard of gold greater than that of any pharaoh, then they and their treasure vanished into history--until now. A sinister crime syndicate has traced the long-lost treasure from the Andes to the banks of a hidden underground river flowing beneath a Mexican desert. Fueled by burning greed, the syndicate is racing to seize the golden treasure, and to eliminate the one man who can stop them, Dirk Pitt.