In 1865, after the fall of Richmond, Virginia, CSA President Jefferson Davis and Lt. Colonel Sam Morton spirit south a wagonload of Confederate gold. Davis is captured in Georgia but the missing gold is never found. Now, a hundred and forty years later, the forgotten clues still remain hidden beneath southern red clay. Will they ever be found? Can anyone solve the riddle of a buried medallion and unearth the Treasure of the Four Lions?

When our hero, twelve-year-old Tyler James, rebels against his mother, he has to live with his Uncle Joe down by Hanging Creek Swamp. On a creepy campout with his friends, Tyler is chased by a Confederate ghost on horseback. The spectre jolts Tyler into a Civil War battle. While back in time, he learns the secret location of a golden medallion marked Infant 11. The first clue to the lost treasure is in hand.

As Tyler, Lia and Seth search for more clues, Chicago gangsters stroll into town and learn of the Confederate gold. The surly Reid and his goofy sidekick Frank eventually confront the kids about their knowledge. Realizing that the past holds the key, Tyler volunteers for another ghostly encounter. While Tyler is away, Reid and Frank kidnap Lia and Seth and hold them captive on an abandoned island.

To rescue Lia and Seth, Tyler must face death at the hands of the scurrilous Reid. Then, to save himself, Tyler sacrifices his golden clue but only after he sees the medallion pieces in Reid’s possession. Now, the kids and the gangsters own the same knowledge. But, there is one more piece to the puzzle—the forgotten journal of Colonel Sam Morton. And Tyler has it.

In Uncle Joe’s dusty barn, the trio ponders the remembered clues stamped into three pieces of gold: Garrison Days, Infant 11, and a British crest of four lions. Suddenly, Lia’s insight reveals the answer—it is the grave of a child. And the journal holds the key to its location. Later, as they struggle across hazardous river bluffs and under darkening clouds, the kids become stymied and discouraged. That is, until Tyler learns the lessons of true friendship and appreciation for his mother’s sacrifices. Only then does the passageway beneath the crumbling and forgotten graveyard reveal its secrets. The gold is theirs, until Reid steps from the shadows. Can Tyler save himself and his friends again, or will he need the help of a certain Colonel who rises from beyond the grave?