The mysterious cities of the dead, Egypt's desert Necropoli, set the scene for this book. It is based on the journey of Lucie Duff Gordon in the last century, but interweaves the modern-day experiences of the author, and life and death in ancient Egypt. Lucie Duff Gordon, suffering from TB, went to Egypt to die and in fact survived long enough to become deeply involved in the culture and to live almost as a native Egyptian.