Young, penniless and ostracized archaeologist, Howard Carter, whose obsession is to find the legendary tomb of the boy-king, Tutankhamun, in the so-called Valley of the Kings is hired by British aristocrat, Lord Carnarvon, to do just that. However, many things stand in their way - the outbreak of WWI, Arab rebellion against the British rule, Carnavorn's thinning patience and wallet, the noisy press, the new Egyptian laws that abolished their right to a finder's fee, as well as Carnavorn's charming rebellious daughter, Evelyn, who befriends and seduces somewhat naive Carter. Eventually, Carter achieves his greatest dream only to lose everything else.