1882. Lieutenant General Sir Garnet Wolseley is under pressure. News of an uprising against the British powers in Egypt has reached London, and he must react decisively and forcefully. But there is little time to assemble an army and, for his campaign to succeed, he needs someone on the ground to assess the movements and strength of the Egyptian rebels.

Fresh from a scouting mission in South Africa, former army captain Simon Fonthill is kicking his heels in Brecon. When the request from Wolseley comes, Fonthill and his servant, '352' Jenkins, accept the assignment, fully aware of the dangers they will face in hostile terrain without back-up. But they could never have foreseen the bloodshed that awaits them in the desert at Tel el Kebir...