Deep in the sandy New Mexico desert near the landmark of Shiprock, an impetuous female archeology student and her dean begin an excavation dig on Navajo land. Unwelcomed by the native peoples because their historical theories are offensive, Kate Darby and Sabastian McEntry soon discover that their exhibition has stumbled upon a truth long hidden. At first the tribal elders try to discourage them but are too worried that refusal will draw curiosity, so they allow the dig until Kate stumbles upon an underground cave that houses the mummified bodies of the supposedly ancient Anasazi. Kate's work is confiscated by police, and she is drawn into a world of dark magic and voodoo only to discover that the Anasazi aren't from the Americas and that they are still alive in secret colony hidden somewhere in North America. She and a pair of locals, along with Sabastian, become entangled in a war of good vs evil with the undead.