Over 4,000 years ago... Deep in the heart of Africa is born an ancient civilization, architects of a new and sacred symbolic language. Congo, 1940... On an expedition, famed anthropologist William MacMillan stumbles upon a mysterious, ancient tomb. A legendary race of men and a newly reawakened mortal virus carry on the curse of an ancient king, determined to fight off every intruder. United in their purpose, they persevere, guarding their fiercely kept secret traditions, through the course of history. Zaire, 1996... Mercenaries and terrorists prepare for the final conflict. Objective: a race to riches, destroying everything in their path. The destiny of a young biologist becomes inextricably linked with a story much older than herself, one so far-flung as to seem ripped from the pages of books. Sara DeSantis is drawn into an adventure along the banks of the river Ebola, encountering many obstacles on her search. She is thrown into dealings with her cousin, Patrick Tipret, a jealous, unscrupulous man, unable to forgive her for being the favorite and thus a potential rival to the inheritance of Shannon MacMillan, their grandmother, owner of a vast tract of land in Tanzania. A journey across the plateaus and forests of Zaire calls her entire life into question, blending the past and present together. But even more difficult for her is confronting Alec Nardi, the man she once loved but now despises with all her being. Driven by the hope of making a sensational discovery, she is pushed past the boundaries of the familiar until nothing can stop her-not the atrocities of war, nor the horror of the strange magic rituals performed by the legendary leopard men. The virus traces its bloody trail through time. Her pursuit leads her beyond the disease, far beyond, toward a single revelation nestled deep in the jungle surrounding that dark and narrow river... Ebola.