All Marianne Forster wants from her first holiday abroad is a little excitement – maybe even a fling in sunny, hot Morocco. She gets lucky on both counts when she meets Alan Waring, a mystery man who is more than happy to show a pretty tourist the sights.

Disaster looms, however, when Mari leaves to return to England after a final night of passion in Alan's hotel room – and mistakenly departs on the airport bus with his bag, not hers. Alan, completely panicked, is revealed as a secret agent who has a very important SmartCard in that bag. He races after Mari and finds no trace of her – until he is informed that she has been kidnapped by a group of Algerians.

Meanwhile, unaware that Alan is crossing the length and breadth of North Africa to find her, Mari is forced to survive the rigors of the deadly desert where she is held, not knowing who her captors are or whether she has any real chance of rescue.