Tintin finds himself involved in a mystery related to a drowned man, a can of crabmeat and a ship called Karaboudjan. After investigating the ship, Tintin discovers that the shipment of cans does not contain exactly crabmeat.

Tintin and his friends travel to Khemed, a Middle East nation, to help its ruler, Emir Mohammed ben Kalish Ezab, who gets into trouble when Bab El Ehr, an arms smuggler and terrorist, rises and takes over.

Tintin and his friends get involved in an unexpected and weird adventure when they meet Laszlo Carreidas, an eccentric millionaire.

Tintin and Captain Haddock travel to Peru in search of an abducted friend.

While on vacation in Egypt, Tintin encounters an eccentric archaeologist who believes to have found the whereabouts of Pharaoh Kih-Oskh's tomb. There Tintin finds a cigar marked with a strange emblem.

Tintin falls into a dangerous trap after his friends are falsely arrested in a troubled South American country where a revolution is about to explode.