It is Christmas 1808 & Britains army faces destruction in the second in the series begun by True Soldier Gentlemen" Faced with appalling weather & pursued by an overwhelming French army led by Napoleon himself the very survival of Britains army is at stake. But while the 106th Foot fights a desperate rearguard action for the newly promoted Hamish Williams the retreat turns into an unexpectedly personal drama. Separated from the rest of the army in the initial chaos he chances upon another fugitive Jane Mac Andrews the daughter of his commanding officer & the woman he is desperately in love with. As the pair battle the elements & the pursuing French picking up a rag-tag band of fellow stragglers along the way as well as an abandoned newborn the strict boundaries of their social relationship are tested to the limit with surprising results. But Williams soon finds he must do more than simply evade capture & deliver Jane safe & sound to her father. A specially tasked unit of French cavalry is threatening to turn the retreat into a massacre & Williams & his little band are the only thing standing between them & their goal."