Richard Sharpe

Sharpe is a young private in the British army and is stationed in India. He yearns to desert the army and start a better life with his romantic interest, Mary Bickerstaff. Sharpe's prostitute mother had abandoned him shortly after his birth and as a result he grew up an orphan who becomes street-wise and tough. He knows how to fight and thinks quickly while under enormous pressure.

Sergeant Hakeswill dislikes Sharpe to an extreme degree. He sets Sharpe up for a flogging that is supposed to kill the private, but instead General Harris spares Sharpe's life in return for taking on an assignment. Sharpe must accompany Lieutenant Lawford in an attempt to rescue an imprisoned British officer, Colonel McCandless. Sharpe takes the challenge and asks to be promoted to sergeant if he survives. His request is granted because nobody expects him to live through the mission.

Private...