Set in 1926, the story follows American adventurer Rick O'Connell, librarian Evelyn Carnahan, and her brother Jonathan as they set out on an expedition to find Hamunaptra. Unwittingly, they compete against a band of American treasure hunters and accidentally awaken Imhotep, an ancient Egyptian high priest cursed to suffer the Hom Dai —the most terrible of all punishments—for murdering Pharaoh Seti I.