Archaeologist Howard Carter is recruited by amateur Egyptologist Lord Carnarvon to explore the Valley of the Kings. Carter discovers tantalising evidence of the final resting place of the boy-king but world events threaten to halt his work.

Carter returns to the Valley of the Kings as the First World War draws to a close, hoping to complete his search for the lost tomb. Maggie also arrives in Egypt hoping to resume their relationship, but Carter finds himself smitten with Lord Carnarvon's daughter Evelyn. The excavation is threatened by a tide of Anti-British sentiment sweeping across Egypt. Carnarvon is in financial difficulties, and cannot afford to fund Carter's seemingly hopeless search.

Carter finally discovers the Pharaoh's tomb in 1922, but is forced to wait for weeks before opening the sealed doorway, so local authorities can be present. The find is also overshadowed by local tension as the struggle for Egyptian independence intensifies. Carter's relationship with the press also causes problems for Carnarvon, driving a wedge between the two men in their hour of triumph.

In 1923, with the dig in limbo and its ownership in dispute, Carnarvon falls fatally ill from blood poisoning, forcing a reconciliation with both Carter and his daughter.