Dendera has never performed magic spells for a pharaoh, met a live sphinx, or even traveled outside her home in Thebes, Egypt. All she knows is her boring life in the home of Tetisheri, an old lady who talks to snakes and plants more than she does people. A chance encounter with a princess lands Dendera a new job at Karnak Temple. Training to be a priestess during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut puts crazy demands on her. But at Karnak, Dendera finds friends, discovers magic in everything from a talking stone to a runt baboon, and moves toward a destiny she never dreamed of, if she can only survive.