When archaeologist Annja Creed attends an auction in Botswana featuring personal effects of an infamous explorer, she purchases a small and seemingly unremarkable piece of art. It's not until the explorer's son makes a desperate attempt to steal it that Annja uncovers the secret of the painting...or rather, the secret map behind the painting.

The map points to the Lost City of the San tribe, bushmen who had long ago disappeared off the face of the planet and whose city-so legend has it-was once littered with diamonds. But is the map an epic archaeological discovery or a fantastic work of fiction? Compelled to find out, Annja must face not only the perils of the African bush, but a treacherous son determined to take back his father's greatest legacy...no matter what the cost.