Ranofer struggles to thwart the plottings of his evil brother, Gebu, so he can become master goldsmith like their father in this exciting tale of ancient Egyptian mystery and intrigue. A Newbery Honor Book.

Ranofer tried the box first. He found nothing there... The chest looked no more promising... There was something dark and curving in a corner, wrapped in a scarp of cotton rag... He tugged it out, jerked the cloth away impatiently and went numb all over with the shock of what he saw. There in his hand lay a gold goblet, he knew it must have been stolen from one of the great tombs in the City of the Dead. Ranofer also knew that in order to win his freedom he would have to prove that Gebu, his greedy half-brother, was the thief.

The events that follow will surely excite the adventurous reader.