John Jones, honorary Welshman, lives in a remote Mid-Wales valley and sells chicken feed. His two passions are history and exploring underground, and through them he is caught up in a quest for one of the great lost treasures of the middle ages. He follows the trail through undiscovered archives; a great historic house; wild mountain landscapes; the shafts and passages of ancient lead mines and the International Eisteddfod. On the way he encounters rivals who resort to arson, treachery and murder. Help comes from a skilled rock climber: a lord's daughter with whom he falls helplessly in love. Together they encounter danger, disappointment, and ultimately a sort of triumph. John Hainsworth lives in the Tanat Valley. A former teacher, he is now in full time retirement.