The spirit of adventure callls Marcus Didius Falco on a new spying mission for the Emperor Vespasian to the untamed East. He's picking up extra fees from his old friend Thalia the snake dancer as he searches for Sophrona, her lost water organist. With the Chief Spy Anacrites paying his fare, Falco knows anything can go wrong. A dangerous brush with the Brother, the sinister ruler of Nabataean Petra, sends Falco and his girlfriend Helena on a fast camel-ride to Syria. They join a traveling theatre group, which keeps losing members in non-accidental drownings. The bad acting and poor audiences are almost as bad as the desert and its scorpions - then as the killer hovers, Falco tries to write a play... Wieder eine witzige, spannende Geschichte um den römischen Privatdetektiv Marcus Didius Falco. Man schreibt das Jahr 72 n. Chr. In höchstem Auftrag reist Falco nach Syrien, um dort eine verschollene Wasserorgelspielerin ausfindig zu machen. Gleichzeitig soll er die Stimmung im Land der Nabatäer erkunden, denn Rom möchte sich diese durch Handel wohlhabend gewordenen Region einverleiben.