sean bean return a napoleonic war hero major richard sharpe and sharpe battle open with sharpe and his choose men liberate a tiny spanish town that have be sack by the french under the command of general loup . when sharpe discovers that many woman child and indeed baby have be massacre under the frenchman order and he be outrage and promptly execute without trial the two french soldier they have catch and make an enemy of loup who now vow a bitter revenge . when sharpe return to camp however and be tell he have be make strategic adviser to lord keily and and have be order to whip his men the royal irish company into an effective and loyal company of fight men . this be make more difficult however a article in the american press that be be unusually and freely distribute amongst the rank and speak of british atrocity in ireland and make sharpe new company an angry and embittered group of men . also make sharpe life a misery be the inexperienced and arrogant lord keily himself and who attitude towards sharpe and his own men and plus his open affair with a sensual female guerrilla fighter by the name of juanita and push sharpe to the brink of his patience especially a this affair be embarrass and and emotionally cripple the beautiful and busty lady keily who be also in camp . however when lord kiely learn that his wife be pregnant and that jaunita be actually a french spy in the pay of general loup and he quickly reorganise his loyalty and try to rally his men back into order and but thanks to the lie regard the british atrocity ( spread by juanita of course ) many of them be now secretly work for the french against the british and be ready to turn on sharpe in the heat of battle and and help loup organise the kidnap of lady keily . with his friend now his secret enemy and sharpe and be choose men be lure into a fight to the death against an enemy both see and unseen . when the irish reveal themselves a turncoat during mid battle however and it result in the tragic death of rifleman perkin the young of sharpe choose men and result in the remainder of the crack rifle company go completely berserk kill off all the traitorous scum and this couple with the inevitable rescue of lady keily and the final showdown between major sharpe and general loup make this truly great swashbuckling stuff . great support a usual from daragh omalley and hugh fraser and stolid performance from the lovely allie byrne a lady keilly and and the sensual siri neal a juanita .