JOHN COOPER is a police detective in the small town of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Brokenhearted by the death of his wife, he's been going through the motions since her loss, avoiding relationships and chasing small-time criminals through the present-day Cherokee Nation. That all changes the night he's called to investigate the robbery and brutal beating of an elderly Cherokee man.

Cooper soon learns the old Indian's attackers were after more than a little drug money. For over half a century, Edward "Flying Eyes" Blalock has guarded a secret. Days before they were rounded up and sent on the infamous Trail of Tears, Blalock's ancestors stole a fortune and hid it in a cave. The treasure is now worth over a hundred million dollars, and the old man's attackers took something that could lead them to it.

Cooper and Blalock's beautiful granddaughter race to get there first, but as the body count climbs, one thing becomes clear: no one can escape the curse of CHEROKEE GOLD.