When the body of an American archaeologist turns up in the Yangtze, Liu Hulan, an agent for the Chinese government, and her American husband, David Stark, investigate and find that the murder may be tied to a missing priceless artifact.

In the South American fainforest, the Critter Kids visit an archaeological dig in Mayan ruins. They discover that a priceless jade statue has been stolen.

Former Pinkerton spy Isabelle Webb, her young charge, and a Utah blacksmith team up to find the blacksmith's younger brother who traveled abroad with the ill-reputed Thaddeus Sparks in search of a mystical treasure.