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At the Temple of Arkam in Egypt, Yousef Bey is
summoned by the High Priest, who tells him the 3,000 year old story of the
forbidden love of Princess Ananka and Kharis, a commoner. At the same
time, in a college classroom in Mapleton, Massachusetts, Professor Matthew
Norman, an Egyptologist, tells his students how the tomb of Princess Ananka
was removed from its burial place and became a prized possession of the
Scripps Museum in New York.
Norman also tells his students the story of
Kharis, who was kept alive in a mummified state through the use of tana
leaves and smuggled into the United States. Kharis killed all the members of
the Egyptian expedition that uncovered Ananka's tomb, and later perished in
a fire. Amina Mansouri, an Egyptian exchange student, is particularly
unnerved by Norman's talk, causing her boyfriend, Tom Hervey, much concern.
Back in Egypt, Yousef learns that Kharis still
lives, and is dispatched to American to return both Ananka and Kharis to
their rightful resting places in Arkam. Meanwhile, back in his
laboratory, Norman brews nine tana leaves, unaware that their smell is
attracting Kharis. As the mummy passes her home, Amina goes into a
trance-like state and follows Kharis to the Normans' house. There,
Kharis strangles the professor, then drinks the life-sustaining tea.
While the sheriff quickly surmises that Norman's
murder is the work of Kharis, having discovered mold around the professor's
neck, he questions Amina about her possible involvement, as she was found
unconscious just outside the murder scene. Although Amina has no
memory of the night's events, she suddenly develops a gray streak in her
hair. Yousef then arrives in Mapleton and revives Kharis during the
next full moon.
The two go to the Scripps Museum to retrieve the
body of Ananka, but she disintegrates when touched by Kharis. At the
same time, a frightened Amina awakes with a scream, and Yousef quickly
assumes that Ananka's soul has been reincarnated.
The next day, Dr. Ayad, the museum's curator,
tells Police Inspector Walgreen that the tomb's hieroglyphics prophesy
Ananka's reincarnation. The two then go to Mapleton where, along with
the sheriff, they set a trap for Kharis. Meanwhile, Tom proposes to
Amina, and they make plans to leave for his family's home in New York the
next day.
That night, however, Kharis is led by a shaft of
light to Amina's home. Awakened by his presence, Amina faints, so
Kharis abducts the young woman and takes her to his hiding place, an
abandoned mine shaft. Yousef's lust for the beautiful Amina overcomes
his priestly duties and, rather than killing the young woman, he attempts to
give her immortality using the tana leaves. Kharis realizes his
treachery in time, however, and kills the priest. After knocking Tom
unconscious, Kharis then carries Amina, who has now been transformed into
the decaying Ananka, into the nearby swamp, where the townspeople watch as
the two ancient lovers slowly sink into the mire. |
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