Sharpe is offered a chance to attempt the rescue of a senior British officer who has been captured by the Tippoo of Mysore's forces, providing him with an escape from the tyrannical Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill. Sharpe is the man you always want on your side; he joined the army to escape jail and climbed the ranks by sheer brutal courage. But in fleeing Hakeswill, Sharpe enters the exotic and dangerous world of the Tippoo...