In 1879, the North West Frontier, India’s border with Afghanistan, provides the greatest opportunity for action and advancement for any officer in the British army. But it also guarantees
the most risk. The Pathan warriors of the Afghan hills—notorious for their ferocity and cruelty—are a constant threat to the Queen’s men. But what worries the army most is the rumor that
the tribes are planning an uprising. Captain Simon Fonthill is ready for a new challenge. Having cut his teeth in battle in the Zulu War, he accepts the hazardous mission of riding into the
hills and passing vital intelligence back to camp. Accompanied only by his unconventional servant, "352" Jenkins, and an eccentric but fearless Sikh translator, Fonthill steels himself for
what is surely the most dangerous posting of his career.