It is 1922 and as the sun is beginning to set on the British Empire, young archaeologist Archie Plunkett-Pfaff lands the opportunity of a lifetime in southern Egypt. A new era is dawning for the Egyptian nation but the local administration is led by newly appointed miscreant and all-round cad James Braithwaite. Meanwhile, a secret rebel group threatens to wreck the country's peaceful transition to independence, drawing the interest of the intelligence community in Cairo. After making a major archaeological breakthrough, Archie, who is joined by an insane colonel and a status-hungry teacher, must fight off an evil curse, a cantankerous insurance tycoon and a band of dangerous communists. But will Archie cash in on the fame of his discovery before Braithwaite can steal his girl and a wandering mummy gets them all?