Most copies of "The Travels of Marco Polo" leave out a great deal and are difficult to decipher. Yet when one original manuscript lands in the hands of Lieutenant Jonathan Daly, he's able to translate the tale well enough to discover the trail to a chest of fabulous red stones buried with the long-dead Emperor of China, Kubla Kahn. An offering to the gods to light the leader's way to heaven, the glittering stones are worth several million dollars, as they are diamonds. Recently recovered from a bout of malaria and two bullet holes collected in war-ravaged Gran Chaco, Lieutenant Daly sets out on his treasure travels, ignoring warnings from friends and doctors. He follows Marco Polo's words straight into a dark maze of betrayal, espionage and death--with more riding on each precious line of text than he ever imagined.