Thousands of years ago, the mighty Persian king Xerxes the Great was said to have raided the Treasury at Delphi, carrying away two solid gold pillars as a tribute to his glory. In 1800, while crossing the Pennine Alps, Napoleon Bonaparte and his army stumble across the pillars.
A fabulously wealthy Chinese businessman is making a fortune smuggling Chinese immigrants. Dirk Pitt becomes suspicious and begins to track him. The trail leads him from Washington to Louisiana where the villain is building a huge shipping port - apparently in the middle of nowhere. Pitt's continuing investigation reveals that his instincts were right - he is on the tail of a master villain and not only lives are at stake. Dirk Pitt must stop him at all costs.