Event: QUAN SHU FORTRESS, MANCHURIA 1359 A.D.

Sydney and Nigel are hot on the trail of a Chinese ""dragon's egg"" concerning an early contact-explosive like nitroglycerine. Rival relic hunter Kane has the map, but has been captured by a local warlord, Shandar. The duo have to break Kane out, and then get the map from him and go for the egg. They manage to get hold of it, but Kane and Shandar pursue them, and Sydney uses the explosive to blow up their opponents. Meanwhile, Claudia is off on a ""fashion emergency"" and temp Karen Petrusky is forced to deal with a budget review of Sydney's Ancient Studies department.

Event: AN-NAJAF, PERSIA 422 A.D.

Mac Hollingsworth, an old-school relic hunter, leaves a key to Pandora's Box to Sydney in his will. She and Nigel travel to Baraq, where they are befriended by a local conman and petty crook, Ahmid. With Ahmid's help, they get into the palace where Pandora's Box is secreted...disguised as harem dancers. The palace is controlled by Colonel Montoya and his henchman Hauer. Sydney finds the hidden door the key opens, but she and Nigel are captured. Montoya opens the Box and is incinerated. As eclipses and earthquakes plague the land, Hauer forces Sydney and Nigel to decipher a clue to re-seal the Box. They do so, then manage to stop Hauer from selling the Box.

Event: BEKKASTAN, 1401 A.D.

A horse rider asserts her right and ability to lead the clan seated upon a remarkable saddle.

Back in the present, Sydney and Nigel uncover a wall-painting of the female rider. Just as they are about to study it, a sound comes from outside and Syd dashes out to find someone stealing their horses. She grabs one horse and pursues the theif leaving Nigel with his camera, laptop and little water in the middle of nowhere. Syd catches up with the theif but is knocked out fighting with him. After an anxious wait for Syds return, Nigel phones Karen and sets off on foot. Syd befriends the theif who turns out to be the twin brother of the leader of a tribe of horse people. Nigel passes out in the desert and is rescued by the aforementioned sister who enlists his help to find the saddle so she can prove her right to lead her people. Syd and the horse theif chap (with whom she has formed a bond) set off in search of the saddle, pausing briefly to sneak into the c