John Madison is a Turkish-American art dealer raised by his much older brother Samuel, a respected Mesopotamian scholar. Caught between Samuel's obsession with saving a priceless relic looted from Iraq's National Museum and a deadly game of revenge staged by his childhood friend, John must solve a puzzle to find the link between a modern-day witch and an ancient one. Aided by an archaeologist and an Iraqi photojournalist, he races against time to decipher a Biblical prophecy that leads to the dark history behind the science of alchemy. John's quest unearths a fabulous treasure trove and the truth behind a famous story long believed to be a myth.