Four hundred years ago a Chinese porcelain maker loses his family in a plague. Grief stricken, he becomes a Taoist monk and rids himself of his fortune in gold, concealing it in the bottom of four priceless vases. Unwittingly he includes a deadly cache of the recent virulent plague. Bashir, a present-day terrorist on the hunt to resurrect such ancient plagues, traces in archives the story of the lost vases, but loses the trail when the ship is wrecked off the Balinese coast. Watching closely are agents of the American President's newly formed Terrorist Threat Integration Centre. When one of the ancient vases turns up at an antique auction in Bali, the hunt is on for the other three. On a collision course with the terrorist group and the TTIC agents is Lim, an importer, who has learned of the hidden gold.
In their way is Chad Handelmann, a Balinese-Australian importer and ex-SAS captain, whose family are the guardians of a map leading to the vases. The thrilling race to the burial place of the vases leads to a ruined temple deep in the rainforest of Mt Agung. Nobody is prepared for the danger that lies inside. Suddenly, it is no longer only about recovery of the sacred vases. It is a struggle just to stay alive.