When Ardis Cole goes to South Dakota to handle a bequest of pioneer and Sioux artifacts left to the University of Chicago by the wealthy private collector, Anthony LaMoine, she finds unexpected trouble-a stolen ruby, a present-day murder, and a skeleton in the cellar! As a teenager after a battle with his father, Anthony's adopted son had run away from home. Find the son, the housekeeper tells her, and you'll find the thief. But is the son really the guilty party? And is the mysterious writer-historian, Seldon Drake, the man he claims to be-or is he an imposter?