Five ski bums from different walks of life become unlikely friends when they choose between the new skiing mecca, Vail, and the renowned legend of sport and pleasure, Aspen, for their home. They never imagined that in their quest to ski the grand powder of the Colorado Rockies, they would become embroiled in an adventure about another kind of stash. They test their wits against a Nazi war criminal, an order of eccentric monks and a 10th Mountain Division veteran in trying to solve a mystery that spans two continents and three decades of intrigue.