Fourteen years later, in 1817 after his wife Lucille died of fever, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Sharpe, now a farmer in France, is summoned to London by his former commander, the Duke of Wellington, and asked to undertake one more mission for him: to find a man in India.

Sharpe refuses, unwilling to press his luck any further, until he learns that the agent is his old comrade in arms and best friend, Patrick Harper.

Celia Burroughs' escort is also attacked, by none other than Dodd; she is captured and taken to the fortress of Khande Rao (Karan Panthaky), the nominal leader of the revolt.

However, he is not yet of age and is under the influence of a regent, his late father's favourite concubine, Madhuvanthi, and her lover, now General William Dodd, who plan to kill Rao before he reaches his majority.

However, when Sharpe requests permission to infiltrate the enemy fortress, Simmerson is only too happy to allow him to risk his life.

Sharpe makes the acquaintance of former French Colonel Gudin, a fellow veteran of the Battle of Waterloo two years earlier.

Sharpe discovers that Dodd has laid a trap for the British: they will attempt to breach the wall where he has mined it with barrels of gunpowder.

In a skirmish, some British soldiers are captured, among them Sergeant Shadrach Bickerstaff, who had clashed with Sharpe earlier.

Sharpe and Harper successfully set off the gunpowder prematurely, resulting in a huge explosion which kills many defenders.