In 1940, in the south of France, Jacques, Jojo, Simon, and Marcel decided to explore a deep hole in the ground, hoping for buried treasure. What they found inside was more precious than they could have dreamed. After squeezing through a narrow tunnel, they entered a cave, and the light from their homemade lamps revealed the true treasure: walls covered with images of cows, bulls, bison, horses, and reindeer, all painted by early humans thousands of years ago. The boys could have kept their find a secret, but instead they told experts on prehistoric art of their discovery, and they became guides to the cave and its spellbinding power.

This is the story of four daring boys who brought to the modern world the more than 2,000 paintings and engravings of Lascaux, perfectly preserved for nearly 17,000 years and now recognized as stunning examples of the very beginning of art.

From the dust jacket