What promises to be a perfect summer for Millie Kirchner - a chance to volunteer at the archaeology site at Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson's secret retreat - turns ominous as first an archaeology intern and then Millie's housemate are murdered. A secret involving a stolen ring ties the nearby mansion called Highgrove, possibly designed by Jefferson, to a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Exhaustive research leads Millie to discover that the deadly past holds the key to the murders in the continuation of this series that links the doings of a founding father to modern times.