The corpse of an aspiring diplomat was found in a garden wheelbarrow on the Eden Lodge estate. Everything indicates that the killer is the inhabitant of the estate, the mysterious Egyptian beauty Ayesha Zachary. And her accomplice is her lover, the all-powerful minister of Her Majesty. The highest authority demands that Thomas Pitt clear the minister's name from suspicion at all costs - especially since the matter seems to concern the colonial interests of the British Empire. In search of a solution, Pitt is forced to travel to distant Egypt. Meanwhile, his wife Charlotte takes on her own investigation, delving into the creepy slums in the heart of London...