In 1919, the Emerson family returns to excavation after the war. Ramses and Nefret are now parents, and Amelia expects that the end of intelligence missions and the arrival of grandchildren will produce a less dangerous season.
Instead, thefts, attacks and threats against the children reveal that an enemy is using the family’s past against them. Amelia must identify a new adversary whose motives are bound to earlier crimes, while the younger Emersons confront the fact that peace has not ended the risks created by archaeology, inherited loyalties and unresolved revenge.