Flashman tries to avoid the Crimean War but is assigned to mentor a young German relative of Queen Victoria. The appointment takes him to Balaclava, where he witnesses the Thin Red Line, the Heavy Brigade and the confused orders that send the Light Brigade towards the Russian guns. His terror carries him through the charge and into captivity, where British observers once again mistake survival for courage.
Removed to Russia, Flashman learns of schemes for an advance through Central Asia towards British India. He escapes with his former schoolmate Scud East, is recaptured by Nicholas Ignatiev and is taken across the steppe before becoming involved with forces opposing Russian expansion. The novel joins the famous cavalry disaster to the wider imperial rivalry later called the Great Game.
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