The date is April 1, 2471 B.C., and a total solar eclipse has forced night to fall during the day in Egypt. The sun has morphed into a lifeless black circle surrounded by a milky halo, a consequence of the moon passing perfectly between the Earth and its radiant star. Darkness has swept across the Nile Delta. The sacred city of Buto's usual luster has been blanketed in shadow.

Pharaoh Shepsekaf, the reigning ruler of the fourth Egyptian dynasty, is shaken. Could this be an ominous message from the heavens?