Story Overview

A small boy finds a coin in the aftermath of a severe storm. He takes it home to his mother, but does not recognize what it is. She does not either. She shows it to her husband, thinking it may be an old army coat button. He recognizes it and pretends not to. He tells her he lost it somewhere. His girlfriend tells her other boyfriend about the coin. He tries to steal it under the state antiquities act. The jeweler to whom he showed the coin, casually mentions it to his down on luck cousin, who is fired up by the thought of buried treasure. This leads to tragedy on a small Caribbean island, where tales of El Dorado have haunted explorers from Columbus to present day diggers on the beach. Police corruption is the backdrop against which the drama is played out.