Professor Beware

Three thousand years after Neferus's death, Professor Dean Lambert dedicates himself to translating his history tablet. He is convinced that love ruined Neferus because Neferus loved the Pharaoh's daughter, and he fears romance will ruin him as well. This belief frames his cautious, almost ascetic approach to life as he works in New York's academic setting.

Dean meets Jane Van Buren, an aspiring actress and heiress, and their paths cross when he ends up swapping clothes with her drunken audition partner, Snoop Donlan. Dean is arrested for stinking of liquor, and the incident makes headlines, forcing him to resign from the museum staff. The encounter seeds a forbidden attraction that will challenge his fears about love.

With ten days to join an expedition leaving from New York for Egypt, Dean ends up stowing away in the trailer of newlyweds bound for Niagara Falls. The journey catapults him into a string of misadventures far from his controlled life. His hasty flight becomes the catalyst for the central romance and conflict of the film.

Snoop accuses Dean of stealing his watch and clothes, triggering a roadside pursuit as Jane follows the trailer to return Dean's belongings and the museum car. The chase pulls Dean deeper into trouble while Jane grows curious about the man behind the charges. Their fates begin to entwine.

The newlyweds eject Dean, and the police close in on suspicion of robbery and jumping bail. He escapes the immediate danger but the pursuit continues toward New York, with Jane determined to see him through. Their shared flight binds them in a fragile alliance against the mounting obstacles.

While fleeing the authorities, Jane and Dean camp in the desert, and he finally admits his feelings, kissing her. The kiss mirrors the Neferus legend and signals a shift from fear to love. The moment also echoes the stormy power of legends they study.

The day after the kiss, Dean leaves Jane a note warning that 'Death lies ahead' if they continue their romance. The ominous message raises the stakes and foreshadows the consequences of their union. Despite the danger, their bond deepens.

Sheriff Sweat of Springville, Pennsylvania finally apprehends Dean, but Jane intercepts him in the museum car, which is spotted by the police, triggering a high-speed chase. They evade capture for the moment but remain on the run and reluctant to give up on each other. The pursuit propels them into a wooded hideout.

Hidden in the woods, Dean and Jane discuss the eighth tablet of Neferus, which proclaims 'marriage.' The mythic parallel reinforces their decision to embrace a formal union. Their romance and the legend become inseparable as they lean into each other.

The couple hops a refrigerator car and are brought before a kindly judge, who dismisses the charges so they can marry. The legal obstacle collapses before their commitment, and their bond is legitimized by a formal union. The moment blends humor with a sense of inevitability.

Dean marries Jane in New York, even as her father accuses him of being a fortune hunter. Dr. Ellison presents a fake missing fragment of the ninth tablet as a wedding gift, tying their ceremony to the expedition tale. Jane inscribes the tale of Neferus saving Anebi onto the wedding keepsake.

Dean fights for his bride aboard what he believes is the Van Burens' yacht, destroying it in the process but winning Van Buren's reluctant approval. Jane realizes Dean fought for her and that the tablet gift was fake. Years later, Dean finally finds the real ninth tablet, and the prophecy of his death is proven false as they continue their life together.