An unfinished duel, a midnight murder, and the treachery of a beautiful prostitute lead to Sharpe's imprisonment. Condemned to die as an assassin, he is a pawn in a plot conceived by his archenemy, Pierre Ducos. Caught in a web of political intrigue for which his military experience has left him fatally unprepared, Sharpe becomes a fugitive -- a man hunted by ally and enemy alike.