May 2007. When an American treasure-hunting company uncovers a shipwreck containing the greatest underwater treasure ever found, the world is captivated by their discovery. But over in Spain, a group of low-level government officials surmise that the sunken ship is in fact an ancient Spanish vessel. Thus begins a legal and political thriller, pitting a group of idealistic civil servants against a rich and powerfully-connected treasure hunter, in which vital cultural artifacts and hundreds of millions of dollars hang in the balance.