When archeological photographer John de Morgan mysteriously vanishes with a priceless artifact, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian colleague, Stoker Templeton-Vane, are pulled into a dangerous world of conspiracies and ancient threats. De Morgan, now married to Stoker's former wife, Caroline, was part of the Tiverton expedition, an archeological endeavor which stirred the wrath of a vengeful curse when the crew violated the tomb of an ancient Egyptian princess. Since the discovery of the sarcophagus, they have endured a string of freak accidents, sudden waves of illness, and even deaths. They wonder if it's all been an unfortunate coincidence--or if the expedition is really doomed. Rumors abound, with many convinced that de Morgan and Caroline's disappearance was staged so that they could make off with the treasure. But Veronica and Stoker are not so easily persuaded, and they race to separate the fact from the mystical and discover the truth behind the treacherous curse.