Chloe Cunnings, a lively and easy-going young woman, and her dark brown-haired, brown-eyed best friend Emily Adams decide to spend their holidays in Egypt in order to improve their Arabic skills and to see the country’s famous buildings and bazaars. Their dark-eyed friend Mario, whom they know from their Arabic lessons back in London and who secretly has a crush on Emily, joins them in their trip. At the end of the Arabic course, in which they get to know the blond-haired and blue-eyed Leonard Pilkington, the four of them set out for a Nile cruise, led by the brown-eyed tour guide Salah. Salah, who formerly had a low opinion of European women, must confess his feelings for the grey-eyed Chloe. Chloe, however, has a crush on Leonard, and only finds out later about her feelings for the tour guide. Yet both Chloe and Emily seem to follow the prediction of Saida, their landlady in Cairo, who prophesies they will each get married to an Egyptian.