A group of American travelers and their hosts set out on a two-week tour of Egypt expecting to divide their time among the usual activities of visiting archaeological sites and museums, shopping for souvenirs, partaking of the regional cuisine, and enjoying the contemporary scene. They are surprised and shocked when they also find themselves in the midst of a mystery. There are strange occurrences involving anonymous threats, strangers who are not what they appear to be, and tour members being shot, poisoned, and killed. Some members of the group wonder whether they have been transported back into a 1940s Hollywood movie. Some readers may wonder whether they are the victims of a tongue-in-cheek hoax. But there is a new element. A few of the travelers begin to gain awareness that they are constantly forced to revise the conclusions they draw from their observations, the opinions they form of their new acquaintances, and the images they had of the history and mythology of ancient Egypt. Above all, they gain an awareness of how greatly their reactions are conditioned by their own past experiences and to what extent they are deceived by their faith in certainty. The man who closes the book on the mystery places his faith in the possibility of rational alternatives. He likes to think of the falcon god Horus as his model. Horus, the son of Isis and Osiris. Horus, the avenger of his father's death who is led to coexist with the murderer. Horus who bridges the world of this life with that of the afterlife, guiding the dead to the realm of his father. Horus, whose lunar eye becomes the favored symbol of protection. Horus, who wears the double headdress of Upper and Lower Egypt. Horus, whorepresents life.