On the death of her father, 32-year old Victorian heiress Amelia Peabody travels Egypt to indulge her interest in Egyptology. She travels with Evelyn Barton-Forbes and her trusty parasol which comes in handy on more than one occasion. In Cairo the pair meet archaeologists Radcliffe and Walter Emerson and sparks fly between Radcliffe and Amelia. The groups meet again at Emerson's excavation where Amelia saves Radcliffe's life and takes charge of his precious archaeological site. The four then band together to discover why the locals will no longer report to work and to try to find a missing mummy who walks the night. An historical mystery with amusing repartee between a strong-willed Amelia and an equally pigheaded Radcliffe in an exotic setting and time.