The story begins in 1968 in Saudi Arabia. Khalid Al-Raqtan dies just before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. He leaves a map and several clues regarding a hidden treasure. The hunt for Al-Raqtan's treasure is a loose link between a series of adventures. Mark Holmes and Dominic O'Flaherty, two men of quite different characters, who are lecturing at the same university, learn of the treasure. They become involved in a race to find it. Mark is the protagonist of the tale, and he soon finds himself caught up in events that present danger and excitement. There is always friction between Mark and the less-scrupulous Dominic. Most of the action in this novel is based upon factual incidents and adventures that take place in: Egypt: Where Mark and fellow members of a holiday group come close to disaster when an antiquate paddle steamer runs aground crossing the Nile. The Lebanon: When the travellers are in Beirut, Israeli commandos attack the airport and destroy a number of planes. A wave of anti-American feeling sweeps the city. Arabian Gulf: Mark goes on a pearl-diving trip. His shipmate is Naiem Al-Raqtan. Naiem agrees to be Mark's partner in the treasure-hunt. He gives Marksome written clues and a map left by his brother, Khalid. Saudi Arabia: Mark leads a convoy of cars on a drive from Dhahran to Jordan. They are suspected of being saboteurs and are abandoned in the wilderness by members of a Saudi border patrol. The inevitable showdown between Mark Holmes and Dominic O'Flaherty occurs when they are still in the wilderness. The story contains no gratuitous sex or foul language. The violent incident that does take place is essential to the telling of the tale

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