Immediately following the French Revolution, three investigators—the first three narrators of the novel—part from Napoleon's troops and head to Egypt on a mission to unveil the source of the pharaoh's God-like power. Studying the relationship between Egyptian hieroglyphs and the divine, their investigation continues for 20 years amid battles with both Egyptians and English troops. At long last, Champollion, an expert in semiotics, manages to decode the hieroglyphs. It is at the brink of this awesome discovery that the fourth narrator enters: Isabella of Tuscany. Champollion falls deeply in love with her, unaware that she is a Vatican spy whose singular mission is to avert the discovery at any cost, guaranteeing the stability of the Pope.