This major new novel will follow the adventures of Richard Sharpe in India, begun so excitingly in Sharpe's Tiger and culminating in the Battle of Assaye, which Wellington considered his greatest victory.

Sergeant Richard Sharpe witnesses a murderous act of treachery by an English officer who has defected from the East India Company to join the Mahratta Confederation. In the hunt for the renegade Englishman, Sharpe penetrates deep into enemy territory where he is followed relentlessly by his worst enemy, Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill.

The paths of treachery all lead to the small villiage of Assaye where Sir Arthur Wellesley, with a diminished British army, faces the Mahratta horde. Outnumbered and outgunned, Wellesley plunges his men into the white heat of battle. A battle that will make his reputation, and perhaps Sharpe's too.

Soldier, hero, rogue - Sharpe is the man you always want on your side. Born in poverty, he joined the army to escape jail and climbed the ranks by sheer brutal courage. He knows no other family than the regiment of the 95th Rifles whose green jacket he proudly wears.