Tracey "Trace" Collins is a doctoral student attending a conference in Egypt when she is unexpectedly called upon by the CIA to aid them in a mission involving a mysterious archaeological site across the border in the Eastern Sahara (Libya). Almost immediately she is flung into danger as her helicopter is shot down by strange "terrorists." She awakens to find herself a hostage and her captor a somewhat mercenary physcist intent on locating a particular ancient Egyptian artifact. Everything goes sideways from there as Trace discovers there is far more to the ancient masters of Egypt than what her college courses ever taught her.