In 1813, the South Essex Regiment is being weakened because expected reinforcements have not arrived from England. Sharpe and Harper return home and discover that recruits are being hidden in a secret training battalion for the profit of senior officers and politicians. Operating without official protection, they infiltrate the scheme and seek the Prince Regent’s support before the regiment is broken up.
The fraud matters because Wellington's fighting strength depends on a replacement system being deliberately diverted for private gain. In England, Sharpe and Harper lack the battlefield authority on which they normally rely and must expose men protected by wealth and political connection. The contrast between ceremonial recruiting and the casualties in Spain gives the conspiracy a direct military cost.
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