In ancient Egypt, Sinuhe (Edmund Purdom) is a would-be doctor who saves the life of a young man (Michael Wilding) suffering from a seizure. When the afflicted youth awakes, he introduces himself as the Pharaoh Akhnaton and makes Sinuhe the royal healer. While working at his new, prestigious post, Sinuhe suffers through a botched romance and the death of his adoptive parents. Despondent, he leaves the Pharaoh's court to bury his loved ones, and, in the process, incurs the wrath of Akhnaton.