Sergeant Richard Sharpe, on attachment to the Seringapatam armoury, is sent with his men to the fort at Chasalagaon. The fort is attacked by a renegade British officer, William Dodd, who massacres the garrison with Sharpe as the sole survivor. Dodd deserted with his company after being accused of murder and has joined the army of the Rajah Scindia, an enemy of the British. The army's Hanoverian commander, Anthony Pohlmann, is impressed enough to place Dodd in charge of a battalion.
Sharpe is contacted by his old friend Colonel Hector McCandless who is hunting the renegade Dodd and asks Sharpe to assist him in identifying him. They are present for the action at Ahmednuggur and, in the aftermath, discover Simone Joubert, the wife of Dodd's French second-in-command, was left behind. They use returning her to her husband as a pretext to visit Pohlmann's camp, where they are received with courtesy by Pohlmann, who offers Sharpe a commission in his army. Sharpe, who dreams of being an officer, considers it but elects to return an injured McCandless to camp when Dodd's men steal his horse.
Sharpe's old enemy Obadiah Hakeswill has him framed for an attack on their company officer Charles Morris and goes with some cronies to arrest him, intending to kill him. He finds himself seconded to Sharpe's commanding officer Major Stokes, and McCandless sabotages the arrest warrant. At Assaye, Sharpe finds himself acting as Sir Arthur Wellesley's orderly during the battle and saves the general's life when he is unseated from his horse amidst the enemy.
With Wellesley's army triumphing over the Mahrattas. Dodd decides to flee the battle, killing Joubert and stealing Pohlmann's treasure. Failing to stop him escaping, Sharpe lets Pohlmann go and leaves the scene with Simone. Hakeswill murders McCandless and attempts again to arrest Sharpe but is foiled by the fact Sharpe has just been granted a field commission for his actions. Sharpe leaves Hakeswill to be trampled by an elephant.
Tropes that appear in this novel:
- Abnormal Ammo: Dodd has his regiment's cannons armed with makeshift grapeshot consisting of bags full of metal.
- Anti-Villain: Despite being the leader of the opposing army, Pohlmann is the definition of Affably Evil, treating Sharpe and McCandless as respected guests and respecting Sharpe as a soldier. He is so friendly that Sharpe can't be bothered to take him prisoner in the aftermath of the battle.
- Appeal to Familial Wisdom: Colonel Wallace cites his mother as the source of all his knowledge of cannons, noting she was the daughter of an artilleryman.
- Artistic License – History: While Wellesley was unseated within reach of the enemy at Assaye, he probably escaped unaided rather than being saved by Sharpe. The character of Dodd existed but his fate after his desertion is unknown, making his involvement here entirely fictional.
- Astrologer: Scindia employs these to advise him. Pohlmann intends to pay them off to advise Scindia to make battle when he think it's the best moment.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Even though every local guide that both Wellesley and Pohlmann speak to insists there are only two places to cross the river Kaitna and get to Assaye, Wellesley deduces that two villages on opposite sides of the river means there must be a ford between them. He is thus able to take his army across the river without marching headlong into Pohlmann's readied guns.
- Big Bad Ensemble: Anthony Pohlmann, William Dodd and Obadiah Hakeswill.
- Bittersweet Ending: Wellesley has won a great victory and Sharpe has achieved his dream of becoming an officer, but Dodd has escaped and McCandless, one of the novel's most likable characters, has been casually murdered by Hakeswill.
- Black-and-White Insanity: Lampshaded by McCandless, who wryly notes that all Mahrattas are warlike and untrustworthy, except the ones who are their allies, who are heroic and romantic.
- Black Comedy: Sharpe learns Wellesley's aides had a bet between them as to who will get the most bullet holes in their uniform and wonders what the dead orderly Fletcher got for being decapitated. He's told that he was disqualified for extreme carelessness.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: Inverted as Sharpe's habit of leaving Hakeswill in situations where he's probably about to be killed and then walking away without making sure continues. Sure enough, Hakeswill turns up again the next novel.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: William Dodd betrays just about everyone he should be loyalty. He deserts the British and murders one of their garrison. He ignores Pohlmann's insistence on Sacred Hospitality and robs Sharpe and McCandless while they're the Mahrattas' guests. At the climax, he betrays and robs Pohlmann, trying to murder him in the process, and even kills his captain Pierre Joubert just to use his horse to escape.
- Crazy Enough to Work: Wellesley's plan to take on a much larger army is considered insanity by just about anyone, but since retreating would likely result in them being cornered and slaughtered anyway, they go along with it in and ultimately succeed.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Pohlmann's method of execution is to stake a man out on the ground and then have an elephant stand on his chest and slowly crush it.
- Dangerous Deserter: Dodd is both a dangerous enemy and a dangerous symbol, since if he and his men profit from deserting to Scindia, others might be inspired to follow them.
- Death Trap: Sharpe attempts to dispose of Hakeswill with one of Pohlmann's favoured methods of execution, ordering a trained elephant to stand on his chest and crush it.
- Determinator: Lieutenant Colin Campbell of the 78th is the first over the wall at Ahmednuggur, twice being knocked back from his ladder but recovering and carrying on climbing each time, then leading his men in the subsequent fighting inside the city.
- Dirty Business: McCandless feels uncomfortable about interfering with Hakeswill's legal (if deceitful) arrest warrant but knows he needs Sharpe's help to complete his mission.
- Dressing as the Enemy: Dodd and his men get into Chasalgaon in East India Company uniforms. Dodd pulls the same trick to ambush Mahratta cavalry working for the British, donning his old uniform coat so they'll let them get close.
- The Dulcinea Effect: Despite being surrounded by women and children being abused during the fall of Ahmednuggur, Sharpe is immediately drawn to Simone without even knowing her name, protecting her from the pillagers and subsequently taking her under his protection and seeing off her abusive landlord.
- Egocentric Team Naming: Dodd dubs his new regiment Dodd's Cobras.
- Enemy Mine: Syud Sevajee is a Mahratta but works with McCandless and the British because he seeks revenge on Beny Singh, who is their enemy.
- Ensign Newbie: Sharpe obtains the rank of ensign at the end of the novel via a field commission.
- Exact Words: McCandless rejects Hakeswill's arrest warrant by tearing off the last letter and noting it empowers him to arrest Richard Sharp, not Richard Sharpe. When Hakeswill tries again, Colonel Wallace informs him that he is authorised to arrest Sergeant Sharpe, not Ensign Sharpe.
- Faking the Dead: Sharpe pretends to be dead after suffering a minor head wound at Chasalgaon.
- Fall Guy: Everyone knows that the sepoy who shot McCandless while stealing his horses was acting under Dodd's orders, but no-one can prove it so the sepoy is given all the blame and executed.
- False Reassurance: As the battle is about to begin, Wellesley notes it will soon be over. Sharpe quickly picks up on the implication.
- A Father to His Men: Dodd likes soldiers, has never flogged them and makes sure they are fed and paid.
- Field Promotion: Sharpe earns his battlefield commission of ensign for his actions at Assaye.
- Foreshadowing: There is discussion of the Mahrattas taking refuge in the fortress of Gawildhur, and Beny Singh is among the warlords present at the Mahrattas' durban. Both play a key role in the following novel.
- Frame-Up: Hakeswill sends Morris to the armoury on a pretext, then strikes him in the dark and claims to have seen Sharpe do it.
- Frontline General: Wellesley is the first to cross the ford near Assaye.
- Handsome Lech: Pohlmann has an eye for the ladies and specifically plans to seduce Simone as a distraction.
- Hanlon's Razor: Wellesley notes that the guide who insists there is no ford between Peepulgaon and Waroor is either a rogue, a liar or a blockhead, before concluding it's probably the latter.
- Historical Domain Character: In addition to Wellesley, there's Anthony Pohlmann, William Dodd, Colonel James Stevenson, Colonel Arthur Gore, Colonel William Wallace, Colonel William Harness and Captain Colin Campbell.
- Insistent Appellation: Even though he holds a commission of major in Scindia's army, McCandless insists on referring to Dodd by his East India Company rank of Lieutenant Dodd, even to his face.
- Ironic Echo: McCandless uses Hakeswill's Character Catchphrase "It says so in the scriptures" against him, after observing "I say to a man, go, and he goeth."
- The Man They Couldn't Hang: Hakeswill continues to insist that the fact he survived a hanging means he cannot die.
- Meaningful Gift: Sharpe sells some of the Tippoo's jewels and uses the money to buy a horse of Wellesley to give to McCandless. It's the novel's most Heartwarming Moment, reaffirming Sharpe's Jerk with a Heart of Gold status
- The Men First: Despite his evil tendencies, Dodd does his best to keep his men alive, removing them from battle when it's clear the cause is hopeless. This may be why so many were willing to follow him in joining Scindia.
- Missed Him by That Much: Wellesley's army spend days tracking the movements of Scindia hoping to intercept them, only to constantly find they've headed off in a different direction.
- More Senior Subordinate: Colonel Stevenson is a generation older and far more experienced than Wellesley, and expresses concern at his general's eagerness to charge into battle against a larger army.
- No True Scotsman: McCandless teases Sevajee about the Mahrattas fleeing from the British advance. Sevajee replies that they're mercenaries, not Mahrattas.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: The command of Chasalgaon, Major Crosby, gives Sharpe as little help as possible. McCandless is a rare positive example as he blocks Hakeswill from carrying out his orders because of a fault in the paperwork, which McCandless himself created.
- Odd Friendship: Sharpe and McCandless are a gulf apart in terms of rank and social status, but McCandless respects Sharpe as a soldier and Sharpe likes the colonel.
- Off with His Head!: Wellesley's orderly Daniel Fletcher has his head blown off by a cannonball while crossing the ford, with his headless body remaining mounted in his saddle for some time until Sharpe and Campbell manage to remove it.
- The One Who Made It Out: Sharpe dreams of returning to the foundling home where he was dismissed as never amounting to anything and revealing he is now an officer.
- Opportunistic Bastard: Both Dodd and Hakeswill fit the trope. Dodd is willing to take any opening to advance himself, whilst Hakeswill is quick to murder McCandless when he threatens to strip him of his rank for his lies about Sharpe.
- Please Select New City Name: When Simone notes she comes from the Ile de France, Dodd insists on referring to it as Mauritius.
- Rags to Riches: Sharpe goes from being a member of the lowest class to becoming an officer.
- Remember When You Blew Up a Sun?: The series' tendency to have characters comment on Sharpe's past achievements begins with McCandless informing Wallace that Sharpe was the one who blew the mine at Seringapatam,
- Sacred Hospitality: Despite them being on opposite sides, Pohlmann treats Sharpe and McCandless as honoured guests and has one of Dodd's men executed when he is blamed for attacking them.
- Sand In My Eyes: Dodd notes Joubert shedding a Single Tear after having to leave Simone behind in Ahmednuggur. Joubert claims to have had something in his eye.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: On seeing his last desperate stand break against the British attack, Pohlmann decides he's not willing to die for the Mahrattas, removes anything from his uniform that would mark him as a senior officer and just walks away.
- Sergeant Rock: Sharpe holds the rank for much of the novel, and his visit to Chasalgaon is the only time he is shown leading men as a sergeant.
- Shaped Like Itself: Sharpe's response to McCandless explaining the Mahrattas are using Arab mercenaries is "Arabs? From Arabia?"
- Shoot Your Mate: Pohlmann has Dodd attack Chasalgaon to see if he is willing to kill his old British comrades.
- Significant Name Shift: Sharpe first begins to realise that he's being made an officer when Wellesley addresses him as "Mister Sharpe".
- Stealing from the Till: Sent to collect eighty thousand cartridges from Chasalgaon, Sharpe intends to sell seven thousand of them to a merchant and write them off as "spoilage". He arrives to find the fort's commander, Major Crosby, has already done it.
- Stealth Mentor: Even though they are enemies, Sharpe pays attention to the way Dodd treats his men and will show similar loyalty to those under his command as an officer.
- Street Urchin: Sharpe's errand boy, Davi Lal, is an orphan that he caught stealing food.
- Tactful Translation: Dodd's responses to the Killadar of Ahmednuggur start off insulting ("Tell him to and boil his backside") and end up as biting sarcasm ("Tell that interfering little bugger that I've sold all the bloody cannon to the enemy"). The interpreter manages to offer a more acceptable response each time (that the Major would be delighted to speak with the honoured Killadar when he has a moment of leisure and that the guns have been placed where they will be most useful).
- A Taste of the Lash: Colonel Harness, who is verging on being a Cloud Cuckoolander, gives Wellesley a long speech about the advantages of flogging, insisting flogging a man once a day keeps an army on its toes.
- They Just Dont Get It: Colonel Orrock needs to have Wellesley explain to him several times that his men need to incline to the right to give Major Swinton room to form up on the flank. Even then, he gets it wrong and just keeps on marching right, away from the bulk of the army, until he hits the heavily defended Assaye, getting nearly all his men killed, along with several of Swinton's men who went with them in the hope of saving them.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: While he isn't exactly said to be ugly, Pierre Joubert is twenty years older than his wife and treated dismissively by everyone that encounters him, while Simone isn't short of admirers, including Sharpe, Dodd and Pohlmann.
- Underestimating Badassery: Dodd makes this mistake with Sir Arthur Wellesley of all people, assuming he will be a cautious young officer who will take days to capture Ahmednuggur only for him to immediately storm the city with an escalade.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Sharpe initially sees Wellesley as this when he rides away from Sharpe without thanking him after Sharpe saves his life. He is unaware that Wellesley was in awe of his actions and struggled to form the words.
- Unstoppable Rage: Sharpe goes into a berserker fury when several Mahrattas attack him and Wellesley, killing more than half a dozen with very little effort.
- We Have Reserves: Dodd convinces Benjy Singh to use his Arab mercenaries to slow down the final British attack while they escape, leaving them behind with a promise of reinforcement that will never come.
- You Have Failed Me: An unusual example of a subordinate pulling it on a superior. Dodd is so incensed at Scindia's army being defeated by a numerically smaller British force that he tries to kill Pohlmann for leading them to failure. Unable to find him, he resorts to slaughtering as many of Pohlmann's personal guard as he can.
