In 1941 a German aircraft crashed into a Scottish Lock. The valuable cargo could have halted the second world war. Several years later two retired intelligence strategists exchange notes. They realise they will become wealthy if the payload can be found. Two of the original aircrew survive. The navigator keeps a diary, he dies during a bungled attempt to recover the document. The Italian cargo handler also remembers the location. He is employed as a consultant to shorten the search period unaware of the double cross planned when he ends his work. The navigator bequeaths the diary to his son, Rory. It describes the secret held close to his heart. The mystery deepens when colleagues describe the heroic actions of the father. At the funeral the son meets an attractive family member, Ellie, who urges him to work with her to unravel the riddle. Documents are stolen. Attempts are made to delay the couple. The authorities provide little help. The couple fight on, but find the strategists don't play by the rules. Through a tangle of events they rescue the Italian only to see him critically injured as he flees the country. The Peace Offering is recovered by the strategists, however, Rory and Ellie interfere. Ellie is kidnapped. In a rescue attempt Rory becomes involved in a fight for his life. This action thriller provides an answer to a previously unsolved conundrum. The modern day adventure involves two families who need to resolve issues from the past. In finding their solutions they also discover the flaws in previous conspiracy theories.