For nine years Jasper Penzey has wondered if he has a mother. Fresh from the discovery that she exists in the adventure of The Ruby Brooch of Atlantis, Jasper follows his father from sunny Greece to the palm-lined beaches of Panama. A cryptic message from his mother leaves him anticipating finding her there, but he soon learns his investigative skills will be used in other ways. A curse has left the waters of the legendary Panama Canal blood-red, Jasper's mysterious tutor will stop at nothing to follow his every move, and a new friend seems poised to sabotage his quest to get to the bottom of the curse of the shaman's stones. When the superstition of the Panamanian people threatens to keep Jasper from being able to solve a riddle left to him by his mother, Jasper rises to the challenge with all of his skills engaged - tenacity, book smarts, and quick thinking - in a race to the finish. Fueled by compassion, respect for diversity, and a keen mind, Jasper may be able to lift Panama's curse of the shaman's stones, but will he find his mother when the mystery is solved?