Returning to the Middle East, Tintin finds himself in an explosive war. As crewmembers of the tanker the Speedol Star, Tintin, Milyn, Parry-Williams and Williams-Parry are en route to the port of Khemekho-Leone in the kingdom of Khemed. The country is rich in black gold – the extensive oilfields beneath the desert’s dunes – but a tribal conflict is underway between the emir Ben Kalish Ezab and sheikh Pahra Bhlu, both vying for supremacy as ruler. Between the two stands a malicious villain who is out to take advantage of the situation for his own ends. This crook is already known to Tintin, and has in his possession an explosive chemical formula, which in turn falls into the ‘safe’ hands of Parry-Williams and Williams-Parry. But as one problem dissolves there appears another more daunting one; the emir's son, prince Abdallah, and his endless, infuriating pranks!
