Book excerpt: Khafre seizes control and takes the throne of his brother, while his nephew Baka flees to Amurru with his uncle Hordjedef. The new king wants a pyramid as big as his father's, appointing a conventional male architect. However, he has cause to regret his decision, bringing back Rait when things go wrong. Others passed over for the position seek to hurt Rait and violate her daughter Neferit. Hordjedef quarrels with exiled Baka and returns to Egypt, pleading for forgiveness, but as Khafre sickens, Baka seeks revenge. The heir, Menkaure, must battle for the throne of Egypt when his father Khafre dies.