From Balaclava to the Zulu War, from the famous charge to the relentless spears of the Impis, this is the story of a heroic cavalry officer, Colby Goff, attractive to women and dedicated to the glory of his regiment. In a great sweep of imperial history it shows how Colby grows from a callous youth, frightened in his first combat less by the thought of death than by the possibility of doing something wrong, to an experienced soldier well used to the habit of independent action.