The ox, the horn, and the sheaf are symbols of tribes belonging to descendants of the biblical patriarch Jacob. In 723 BCE, Assyria conquered the northern Jewish kingdom of Israel, and at that point, all history of those folks vanished. In her book, Meg theorizes with fictional characters what may have happened to at least two of the lost tribes. We go back and forth in time and meet (also fictional) archaeologists who find clues as to the adventures of our wandering Israelites. We pick up other folks along the way who have vanished from history to weave a tale of adventure and intrigue.