Even in Spain, winters are cold. 1809. A bitter winter freezes northern Spain, and the British troops retreat to La Coruña. Lieutenant Richard Sharpe and a scattered group of elite marksmen are left to fend for themselves, surrounded by Napoleon's victorious army. They have only one chance if they join Major Blas Vivar and his Spanish rebels. But this comes at a cost, as Vivar wants to liberate the holy city of Santiago de Compostela, which is occupied by French troops. Sharpe and his men have no choice but to once again prove their indomitable will to overcome the odds.

Crackling with tension - Bernard Cornwell masterfully sends his hero into another adventure on the Iberian Peninsula.