Lady Violet Winters is resourceful, independent and fearless. Her father's American ward, Garth, is her trusty companion and together they are constantly on the look-out for adventure, finding social conventions restrictive. Visiting Egypt with Violet's parents in the spring, they are soon drawn into intrigue. Arriving in Cairo, they visit the bazaar, packed with richly woven cloth, mounds of spices and endless antique jewellery. Together, Violet and Garth witness a fellow steamer passenger in deep conversation with a trader and immediately suspect him of plotting. Later, they see him crocodile-hunting, as they sail down the Nile. And, when Violet accidentally falls into a tomb, she discovers him overseeing the theft of ancient treasures and making plans to smuggle it back to England. But try as she and Garth might, they can't work out where he's hidden the treasure...until a drugged woman leads them to an exciting discovery, and the secret of the crocodiles...