"Between the two world wars, on a hike in the English countryside, Professor John Hill takes refuge from a violent storm in a cave. There he nearly loses his life, but he also makes an astonishing discovery - an ancienct manuscript housed in a cunningly crafted, metal box. Though a philologist by profession, Hill cannot identify the language used in the manuscript and the time period in which it was made. But he knows enough to make an educated guess - that the book and its case are the fruits of a long-lost but advanced civilization"--Book jacket.