Sinuhe, een vondeling die wordt opgevoed door een Egyptische arts, sluit tijdens zijn opleiding vriendschap met de militair Horemheb. Gezamenlijk redden zij het leven van farao Akhenaton waardoor zij aan het hof komen.
Hard-boiled archeologist Mark Brandon is searching for ancient tombs in Egypt when he is approached by beautiful Ann Mercedes, who convinces him to help her fulfill her deceased father's life's ambition - to provide solid proof of the biblical Joseph's travels in ancient Egypt. As an ex-pupil of Ann's father, Mark accepts and the two embark on a search for the tomb of the Pharoah Ra Hotep, said to have had some connection with Joseph. The trail to the tomb is fraught with intrigue, betrayal, murder, and the possibility that the tomb itself has been emptied of all its artifacts by ancient looters.