This 16th book in the Amelia Peabody series returns to people and places last seen in THE LAST CAMEL DIED AT NOON and occurs during 1907 and 1908, a period of time not previously covered by author Elizabeth Peters. A young man arrives at the Emersons home in England and says he is the brother of their friend Tarek, prince of the secret desert fortress known as the Lost Oasis. Tarek apparently desperately needs the Emersons help, and so off the family goes, heading into a situation fraught with both known and unknown perils.