Gareth Cadwallader Owen is the Mamur Zapt, the Head of the Khedive's Secret Police. However, unlike his British colleagues, Owen works for the Khedive. It's not a comfortable perch, as agitation for political and social restructuring grows. Furthermore, Owen is married to a pasha's daughter, Zeinab, herself straddling a cultural divide. The Khedive has declared a procession. He's going to drive around Cairo with his ministers. Owen, who has spent his career defusing political time bombs, learns from his agents that the streets have been made dangerous by threats of real bombs. The first order of business is to ward them off. The second is to ensure the safety of an impending major European delegation to the capital…