The year is 1817, and Captain Matthew Hervey has returned from India to an England in turmoil – close, perhaps, to revolution. The onerous task of policing falls increasingly to the army, especially the cavalry.

And there’s unrest too within the 6th Light Dragoons. Their new commanding officer – a wealthy, arrogant and cruel man – takes an immediate dislike to Hervey who must somehow earn promotion while retaining his integrity and the loyalty of his men. The trauma of a regimental flogging is swiftly followed by action against the Luddites, and it comes as something of a relief when the 6th are dispatched to Canada. But there, in the aftermath of war with the United States, tension along the border is still high and although Hervey doesn’t know it yet, he and his commanding officer are on a collision course. The consequences for them both will be devastating…