The film's narrative is set in the 1920s, during the British colonial era in Egypt. The story follows Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser), an American adventurer, and Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz), a British librarian, as they uncover the tomb of the powerful Egyptian priest, Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo). The mummy's awakening sets off a chain of events, threatening the lives of the protagonists and the world at large.