At the turn of the twentieth century, a stranger shows Amelia and Emerson a ring associated with Queen Tetisheri and claims to know the location of her lost tomb. When he is poisoned before revealing the site, the Emerson family travels to Thebes to reconstruct his evidence and begin a search that attracts grave robbers and rival antiquities dealers.
Ramses and Nefret become active participants as kidnapping, theft and attacks threaten the excavation. The ancient conflict between Apepi and Seqenenre Tao supplies clues to the tomb, but Amelia must also identify the modern criminal prepared to exploit the discovery and eliminate anyone who can challenge his claim to it.