In 1986, a group of explorers dug through the floor of a small cave in the New Mexico desert to dis-cover one of the most spectacular caves in the world. Lechuguilla Cave quickly gained national attention for its stunningly beautiful passages, deep pits, and scientific wonders. Cavers from all over the world swarmed to explore the cave, and over the next ten years, more than fifty miles of passage were discovered in Lechuguilla. This is the story of discovery, danger, and adventure, and of the cavers who explored the cave. It is also a story of politics, conflicts, and intrigues as various individuals vied to control the exploration. And in the midst of it all is the rescue of an explorer whose leg was broken by a falling boulder over a mile underground. More than a hundred cavers cooperated to complete four days of transport through narrow crawlways and up immense pits to remove her from the cave. Lechuguilla Cave has been featured in The National Geographic Magazine, in The Smithsonian Magazine, and in a National Geographic video. Here, for the first time, is the complete story of the trials and triumphs of the Lechuguilla Cave explorers.