The Door in the Dragon's Throat

Plot summary

The Coopers, a family of Christian archaeologists, are recruited by President Al-Dallam, a greedy oil sheikh, to journey to the bottom of the dragon's throat, where many other expeditions have met with gruesome deaths, never having unraveled the mystery of what lurks at the bottom. However, the Cooper family have an edge: their unwavering faith in God, which holds up to scrutiny and testing throughout the book.

Upon arrival, they are greeted by Gozan, Al-Dallam's aide, another fearful and greedy man, who shows them to the Dragon's throat. After a stakeout and a few scares, they realize that this 'Dragon's Throat' is more dangerous than they initially expected, but they journey down anyway. They are met by an earthquake, paranormal activity, and the Door, massive and ornate. While the Coopers continue trying to open the door, their activities are watched and thwarted from time to time by a Chaldean sorcerer. As well as the Shaman's efforts, Jay's beliefs are challenged by Gozan, who wants the 'treasure behind the door' for himself. Jay stands firm and makes himself an absolute model of Christianity for Peretti's young readers.

As the Coopers realize the Door may not be breached by brute force, they hear a rumor of a key, the only thing that can open the colossal doors. As they search the winding eastern city for the 'Street of the Scorpion,' the key's location, Jay and Lila are separated and kidnapped by the desert shaman. The sorcerer is converted to Christianity, breaking all the curses upon him, and he becomes an ally. As Keeper of the door, he shows Jay and Lila the key, but tells them that it is not treasure behind the door, but a powerful demonic force awaiting its release upon the world. During this conversation, Gozan steals the key and rushes it to his president. A desperate chase begins to get to the Door before the president. He beats them to it but a last minute action by Jay saves the Earth.