In 1818 India, Lt. Col. Richard Sharpe and Sergeant Major Patrick Harper are traveling across India, escorting the beautiful Marie-AngÔelique Bonnet to meet her fiancÔe. While in bandit-plagued badlands, they come across the very dregs of the Crown's troops : an ill disciplined, rag-tag unit led by boy soldier Beauclare. As Sharpe and company sit down to have dinner with their hosts, the camp comes under attack by the notorious bandit Chitu. When the dust settles, it becomes apparent there have been many casualties and Sharpe realizes that he is the only person now capable of getting this wagon train to the safety of the next army garrison. Little does Sharpe know that the adventure has only just begun and that he has inadvertently stumbled across a massive opium trafficking ring.