A young archaeologist risks everything in his quest to find one of the world's greatest treasures - the fabled lost library of Ivan the Terrible. It's a story that begins during the 15th century, and the sacking of Constantinople. The Ottoman Empire is approaching from the East, preparing to launch an all-out attack on the city. The Sultan rushes to save its most valuable treasures. The Library is its most valuable, and it's whisked away for safe keeping in Moscow. This was no ordinary library, but the greatest library outside of Rome. Records chronicled hundreds of carts laden with the rarest books, written by the world's greatest minds in history: Aristotle, Plato, Homer. These are reputed to be jewel encrusted tomes that hail from all parts of the globe. Ivan the Terrible's lost library became an obsession of Ignatius Stelletski, an archaeologist and historian. Its discovery would elevate him into the pantheon of history, and acquire wealth beyond his wildest dreams. In the early part of the 20th century he began to search the maze of underground tunnels lying beneath Moscow for the library. In 1914 he discovers a list that catalogues some of the more famous books in the library, including Aristotle's 2nd book of Poetics. The outbreak of World War One forces Stelletski to halt his work. Returning to his flat years later, the professor finds his home sacked, and the vital list gone. But his lifelong passion is undimmed. Stelletski continues undeterred to find the lost library, negotiating his way through all the political intrigue and villainy of 20th century Russia - the October Revolution, the rise of Stalin, and World War II. His search takes him under the Moscow Kremlin, in the Secret Gate to Zhitnev yard, in the bell tower of Ivan the Great Wall at Tseyhgauzskoy, the Round Tower, Borovitckii hill embankment of the Moscow River, and the Kremlin Arsenal Tower. Stelletski dies with the final words on his lips "maktaba", Arabic for library, with a tantalisi.
