Thirteen tourists, representing mixed nationalities and several religious creeds, find themselves engaged in examining ruins on the Nile when they are captured by dervishes. Blood is shed while they are hurried across the deserts; then the Arabs are captured by the camel corps, and there are many adventures before the surviving Europeans are rescued. The chief interest lies in the comparison of the actions of a soldier, a lawyer, a French gentleman, an American traveller, and others when exposed to the same dangers. Incidentally many Arab customs are described.
