Matt Stribling is stuck spending another vacation with his brilliant, yet scatterbrained archaeologist father. His dad's house is often a mess, so when Matt arrives to find the place turned upside down and his father missing, he's not immediately worried. But a cryptic message and some strange sandy footprints quickly persuade Matt that all is not right.

With the help of some unusual family friends, Matt discovers that his father had been searching for an ancient code, one rumored to have brought down the Mayans, and maybe even the fabled civilization of Atlantis. Now in the hands of a madman using high-tech computers to decipher it, the code is being readied for new and sinister uses. Matt and his friend, Robin, will traverse the globe, battling terrifying sand creatures and mercenaries alike in their efforts to stop the chaos code from being fully reactivated - and dooming the modern world to a catastrophe not seen since the days of Atlantis.