In Death on the Nile, world-famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is on a lavish cruise down the Nile in 1937 when a newlywed millionairess is found murdered on board. Poirot solves a series of murders that take place on the luxury cruise ship. The story is a variation of Christie's "country house murder" and is set primarily in Egypt on a boat going down the Nile.

The story is inspired by a trip Christie took to Egypt.