Upon taking a vacation on a cruise, Tintin encounters an eccentric archaeologist named Dr. Sarcophagus who believes to have found the whereabouts of Pharaoh Kih-Oskh's tomb. As a reporter, Tintin finds this to be a story of a lifetime, only to be arrested by Thompson and Thomson who both accuse Tintin of smuggling opium. Tintin manages to escape and meet up with the doctor to find this tomb he seeks out. They find what appears to be the tomb, along with Tintin finding a cigar in the middle of the desert containing a strange emblem. He was about to show the doctor the cigar, only to discover the archaeologist missing and enters the tomb which is the most likely place for the doctor to be at. Upon exploring Tintin discovers the place to be a secret base for an unknown syndicate, and ends up being knock out with gas after knowing too much. The next thing he remembers is being out in the middle of the ocean inside a sarcophagus.