Mandy is bewildered by the unhappy reaction of some of her Cherokee friends to her discovery of gold inside a cave and her Christian values are tested by a troublesome Cherokee cousin.

After Mandie and Celia hear suspicious noises coming from an alley on their way back to schol one night, and thinking that it is somehow connected to a missing heirloom, Mandie decides to investigate.

Strangers digging in the mountains, and the disappearance of Mandie's Uncle Wirt and the Cherokee boy Tsa'nie lead Mandie to a new mystery.

Mandie's favorite teacher, Miss Hope, has gone missing.

"Mandie and her friends are off searching for an illusive treasure hidden somewhere in the past. Names from the all-but-forgotten local history and threats from an angry man make this a challenge you won't want to miss."--Back cover.

Mandie and her friends search for Mandie's aunt's missing turkey. In doing so, they uncover other mysteries including a missing doctor.

While on spring break from her girls' school in North Carolina in 1902, fourteen-year-old Mandie joins her college friend Joe in solving a mystery in the nearby mountains.