When her father, a famous archaeologist, died, he left young Zaria Mansford with little other than debt, poverty, the memory of his bullying and a useful knowledge of archaeology and Arabic.

She is close to starvation from lack of money and there is nothing that could help her make her lonely way in the world.

But then to her amazement she is informed by her father's Solicitors that she has inherited her rich aunt's fortune, including a sumptuous yacht, The Enchantress.

The yacht she is told has been chartered by a wealthy American for a voyage to Algeria and he needs an assistant with a knowledge of archaeology and Arabic as he intends to start excavating a Roman site close to the City of Algiers.

Soon Zaria finds herself secretly taking the place of the young lady employed for the job and, after meeting in strange circumstances the handsome Chuck Tanner, who is in desperate need of her assistance and she then becomes embroiled in a maze of subterfuge and deceit.

Before long Zaria realises that she has fallen deeply in love with Chuck and, caught between murderous gangsters, the Algerian Police and Arab rebels she fears for his life even more than for her own.