A mine that should have been mined out years ago. A series of inexplicable events. A city that suddenly appears almost at the centre of the earth. Mining engineer James Starr discovers that his former colleague Ford lives with his family in the depths of the mine. When Ford discovers a large vein of coal that remains underground, an endless stream of questions arise for both Ford and James, but one remains the biggest, and most pressing - should the secrets of the mines be uncovered, or are they best left buried?