As executor of Colonel Delamere's estate, Eric Ward is required to deliver to the Foreign Office a sealed envelope and an Anubis statuette in the event of the Colonel's death. But Delamere dies at the hands of burglars and the statuette, passed through the hands of the archaeologist Howard Carter and various wealthy English families, is taken. This mysterious and allegedly cursed statuette becomes the subject of an intense search by several shady parties. Within it are contained documents that could change the course of the Middle Eastern peaces process and challenge the legality of the State of Israel. Yemeni immigrants known as the Sand Dancers want the documents to become public knowledge; an Israeli secret agent and the Foreign Office have their own reasons for keeping the documents suppressed. Caught in the middle is Eric Ward who simply wants to carry out his friend's dying wishes. Who will reach the unsuspecting thieves first, and will Ward s private detection skills be enough in the face of the competing Middle Eastern factions?