Isobel Sadler is dead broke. The only thing she's got that might bring in any money is a stupendously bad painting that's been in her family for generations. It's so ugly she can't imagine it would be worth much, but the other night someone tried to steal it. Mystified, she turns to art dealer Michael Whiting, who identifies the painting as a 16th-century treasure map. If they can decipher the clues, Isobel's money troubles will be history. Whiting, however, isn't the only one who has figured out the painting's true identity: a rival is one step ahead, and he'll stop at nothing to get his hands on the medieval treasure.