Peninsula War, Spring of 1811. The dramatic events of Wellington and Napoleon's high-stakes chess game in Spain and Portugal continue. Hamish Williams, whose rise through the ranks from lowly Gentleman Volunteer has left him with implacable enemies on both sides of the conflict, is about to test his bravery - and his judgement - to the limit in the bloodiest engagement fought by the British army, the Battle of Albuera. This conventional stand-up fight, with lines of infantry firing at each other at close range for long periods of time, is something Williams is all-too familiar with, but the battle has one horrific shock in store, when French and Polish cavalry surprise a British infantry brigade, and their utter destruction seems unavoidable.