Plot
While on patrol, Sharpe (Sean Bean) and his men rout some French soldiers who have raped and murdered the inhabitants of a Spanish village. Sharpe and his men rescue a survivor, Miranda (Maria Petrucci), and capture two French soldiers. The French soldiers' commander, Brigadier General Loup (Oliver Cotton), attempts to bargain with Sharpe for the lives of his men, but Sharpe has them shot in front of him. Loup vows revenge against Sharpe as he departs. Miranda is placed under Perkins' (Lyndon Davies) protection, with the two eventually becoming romantically attached.
Meanwhile, Wellington (Hugh Fraser) receives unwanted reinforcements from the King of Spain. His Most Catholic Majesty sends his personal bodyguard, the Real Compania Irlandesa (Royal Irish Company), composed of poorly trained men of Irish descent under the command of the inexperienced Lord Kiely (Jason Durr). [1] Wellington does not trust them, not least because of reports in American newspapers that the British are committing atrocities against the Irish people. So he orders the unreliable men to garrison a fort near the French lines, where it will be easy for them to desert if they want to. He assigns Sharpe to train them and puts him under the command of former Wagonmaster-General Colonel Runciman (Ian McNeice).
Kiely's estranged wife, Lady Lucy Kiely (Allie Byrne), and his mistress, guerrilla leader Doña Juanita (Siri Neal), both show up in camp. In the meantime, Sharpe has enough time to train the men and strengthen the fort's defences, so that when Loup finally attacks, he is repulsed. Afterwards, Sharpe proposes a quick surprise assault on Loup's headquarters, which is approved by Kiely, Runciman and Juanita.
When Kiely learns that Lucy is pregnant, he reconciles with her but sends her away, out of harm's way, but she is captured. Juanita reveals herself to be a French agent by giving Kiely a secret ultimatum from Loup. He is to let Sharpe and his men commit themselves to the attack, then abandon them in exchange for his wife's life.
It almost goes according to plan. Sharpe's men are trapped, though he himself manages to reach Kiely. When Kiely refuses to act, Sharpe fights him, only to be shot in the arm by Juanita. At that point, Kiely finally rebels and kills Juanita. Kiely shows that Juanita had distributed fake newspapers to undermine the Irishmen's loyalty and forced Kiely to cooperate by holding Lucy hostage. Together, he and Sharpe lead the attack against the French. Meanwhile, Harper, in temporary command of Sharpe's company, tricks the French by pretending to be dead. The British win the fight - although Harper is devastated by the death of Perkins, killed by rebel O'Rourke in the Irish Company. Harper, hungry for revenge, ultimately kills O'Rourke. As the battle draws to a close, Kiely is killed by Loup when he tries to free his pregnant wife. Sharpe and Loup duel, with Sharpe killing Loup as the British win the battle.
Now a widow, Lady Kiely leaves the country and the surviving Chosen Men bury Perkins next to his lover Miranda, who Juanita had previously murdered for discovering her treachery. The riflemen salute Perkins and solemnly leave the grave. Sharpe takes one last look at Perkins' final resting place before moving on.
