冒险家本•盖茨(尼古拉斯•凯奇饰)是次要挑战更艰难的探险寻宝之旅。美国第16任总统亚伯拉罕• 林肯之死一直是美国历史上的一宗悬案,据调查,凶手约翰•沃克斯•布斯实际是受人唆使犯下惊天命案。盖茨参加一次公开演讲,台下的一位叫米奇•威尔金森(艾德•哈里斯饰)的男子宣称,盖茨的祖父与林肯之死有千丝万缕的联系。于是盖茨开始调查约翰•布斯相关的线索,发现一本叫“国家密宗”的书,是解答一切问题的关键。但国家密宗只有美国总统本人知道其所在,为了探寻真相,盖茨不惜铤而走险,绑架总统。While Ben Gates is presenting new information about John Wilkes Booth and the 18 pages missing from Booth's diary, a man by the name of Mitch Wilkinson stands up and presents a missing page of John Wilkes Booth's diary. Thomas Gates, Ben's great-grandfather, is mentioned on the page. It shows that Ben's great-grandfather was a co-conspirator in Abraham Lincoln's murder. When doing more research, the conspiracy takes Ben, Abigail Chase, and Riley Poole to Buckingham Palace (which they break into). They discover a plank that has early Native American writing on it. The plank has only one symbol that Patrick Gates can identify. The symbol is Cibola (see-bowl-uh) meaning the City of Gold. In order to define the rest they have to go to Ben's mother, Patrick's divorced wife. After 32 years it brings back old arguments. After that the other clue is in the President's desk in the Oval Office in the White House (which Ben and Abigail sneak into) to discover that the clue lies in The President's Book. But in order to see the book, their choice is either get elected president or kidnap the President of the United States. Which do they choose? It's obvious. With Wilkinson close on their tail, they find the book in the Library of Congress. The conspiracy then crosses to Mount Rushmore where the clue was on the hills, but (according to the Book) President Calvin Coolidge had the faces carved in so no one can find the City of Gold. When they get there they find out that they must work with Wilkinson since he has some clues of his own. Who will claim Cibola? And will the name of Gates be known as murder?