The first of a series of novels Hull wrote with desert settings that set off a major revival of the "desert romance" genre of romantic fiction. It was a huge bestseller and the most popular of her books, and later became the film of the same name that made Rudolph Valentino a cult star.
Diana Mayo is rich, young, beautiful, and independent. Bored by the endless social parties of the aristocracy, she decides on an adventurous break-a horseback trek through the Algerian desert. Two days into her adventure, Diana is kidnapped by the powerful Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan, who forces her into submission. Diana tries desperately to resist but finds herself falling in love with this dark and handsome stranger, but he seems to be just a brute driven by cruel passion.
A rival chieftain steals Diana away but will the Sheik realize that what he feels for her is more than mere passion?
Though the desert romance existed, it was The Sheik that truly revolutionized the genre even creating a lot of tropes. When it was first published, it was considered an erotic novel and stirred up a lot of controversy, being described in the press as "shocking" and "poisonously salacious" and was banned from some communities.