The story takes place in 1953, the year of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and involves eight children who find adventure in the grounds of an old Elizabethan house. The children discover a shaft in the dilapidated kitchen garden, and decide to explore it further. The house, which for many centuries was private owned and handed on through the same family, is now a rest home for ladies and gentlemen, and owned by the local council. The eight friends construct a ladder and descend into their adventure which takes them along tunnels to the sea, into caves and to a room under the old house which becomes their "Aladdin's Cave". However, the mysterious room holds a secret and three of the boys eventually become trapped and must use their ingenuity to find a way out.