In the fabled Near East, where once the mighty empire of Babylon held sway and now the eternal desert ruled, the members of a scientific expedition trembled in the tightening grip of terror.

Already one of them -- a beautiful woman with a mysterious past -- lay dead. All signs pointed to a murderer not of this world -- a diabolical murderer who was preparing to strike again.

It was at this point that the inimitable Hercule Poirot arrived, to embark on this, his most dangerous and baffling case...