The North-West Frontier. 1897. A quiet life is a mixed blessing for the British Army, for in slackness lies the seeds of disaster. When the volatile Jarar Mahommad seizes the British Resident and his family hostage at Kunarja, Ogilvie's battalion are ordered to march through the Khyber Pass to their relief - falling neatly into the chieftain's trap as the gates of Kunarja close behind them. Now, Ogilvie and his sepoy company must return carrying Jara Mahommad's terms to Peshawar. A perilous mission when a regiment's survival depends on his success, but even more so when he is responsible for the safe conduct of the British Resident, his daughter and ailing wife through a hostile pass where countless British lives have already been laid down for the Raj...