Les Eyzies-de-Tayac is known for three things: pate de foie gras, truffles, and ancient bones. This small French village is home to the largest concentration of prehistoric fossils in Europe and headquarters of the prestigious Institut de Prehistoire, which studies them. So when the local police inspector finds reason to suspect foul play, he places a call to his old friend Gideon Oliver, the famed Skeleton Detective. Once Gideon arrives, murder piles on murder, puzzle on puzzle, and electrifying surprise on surprise, in a series of unexpected events that threaten to tear the once sober, dignified institute apart.