After receiving an anonymous letter, New York lawyer Mark Wilder arrives in Cairo to learn the shocking news that he is the illegitimate son of Howard Carter, the famous British archaeologist who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb. Before he died in mysterious circumstances, Carter informed Abbot Pacomas, the last descendant of the great priests of Amon, that only his lost son could continue his life's quest: to find the papyrus hidden in Tutankhamun's burial place and reveal its contents to the world.

No archive mentions this lost papyrus, archaeologists deny its very existence, mystical forces unleash themselves to protect it. It has become a legend - just like the curse that claims all those who disturb the pharaoh's eternal slumber. The quest to uncover Tutankhamun's final secret is fraught with danger. And as he attempts to complete his father's mission, Mark finds himself facing new enemies Howard Carter could never have foreseen, including the CIA and the Egyptian police.