Melissa Madison is an un-traveled, small town girl who suddenly finds herself single after discovering her boyfriend's infidelity. In a desperate attempt to cheapen herself with a one night stand she accidentally meets a man who not only cares about her safety, but actually looks over her to save her from making a mistake that would have gone against her natural grain. Suddenly, coincidentally, they meet again briefly during a shared trip from her Midwest town to Tampa, Florida, only to separate once more.

The separation, however, did not last too long when she discovers a note in her disorganized purse that brought the two back together once again, as mystery about this man continued to astound her; who was he, she wondered, what did he do for a living. The story continues to mystify as they become intimate, yet distant, then once again drawn into an adventure, a destination that takes them to Costa Rica in search of Leaven Holde's missing brother, and a research project they had been working on together for years.

Leaven is a treasure hunter, his brother an archeologist, and together they have found many discoveries through the years. This particular search was their biggest yet, and Leaven's brother, Ryan, was missing, having gone in search alone. Melissa chose to follow Leaven on what he thought would be a simple, enjoyable trip to Costa Rica to visit his brother; in turn resulting in a dangerous search for Ryan, and the legendary gold mines of Costa Rica. As the two face danger they also fall into a romance unparalleled to any either had experienced before, under the papagalos, the cool winds that blow down from the north of Costa Rica, flushing through the body, invigorating like a tonic reaching down from the heavens to exhilarate and rejuvenate the senses.

Many theorists believe that the Indians of Costa Rica got their gold from the gold rich rivers, which is a very plausible theory, yet in this book the gold mines exist, and with good support as to why they could, and should. This story ends with many twists and situations, which most might also consider to be a stereotypical ending, yet one that takes a sudden change of expectation in its epilogue when the reader discovers a final twist.