A young college student, a prodigy in ancient languages, uncovers a medieval manuscript called The Book of Skulls. The tome describes an ancient and long-lived monastic brotherhood that has discovered the secret of eternal life. There is evidence that the brotherhood has survived the centuries, hidden away in remote places, and he turns up evidence that they still exist, now in a remote corner of the American Southwest.

The scholar talks three of his friends into driving cross-country, from Columbia University in Manhattan to the desert where they suspect the monastery is now located. The trip is a suspenseful one, it appears immortality has a great price. Only groups of four can enter the brotherhood, and two must die so the other two can earn the prize. All of them know this, and they choose to take the chance.

The story is told in the first person by all four, in alternating chapters, with alternating points of view from wildly different personalities. The young men have little in common except their friendship, their youth, and great intelligence. They know what is in store for them, and they all believe it, to differing extents and depths of conviction. The psychological stresses and personal conflicts build up as they embark on their quest and approach their destination. Unbeknownst to each other, each man is hiding a great personal secret from his friends, as do we all, and it is the key to their immortality.

I won't spoil the story by telling you how it ends (to be honest, I don't remember exactly myself). I heard a few years ago someone had bought the novel to make a movie of it, but I never heard any more about it. Here's your chance to read it before Hollywood gets a hold of it.