The film opens on an Egyptian archaeological dig in 1961.<ref name = "the mummy">Cowie, Susan D. and Tom Johnson. ''The Mummy in Fact, Fiction and Film''. North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc., 2002. Print.</ref> Three of the main characters are introduced: Matthew Corbeck (Heston), his wife Anne Corbeck (Jill Townsend), and Jane Turner (Susannah York). Matthew and Jane are discussing their efforts to uncover the tomb of an ancient Egyptian queen. Anne is distressed by the relationship between her husband and his assistant. It is later proved that her distress is justified.