Captain James Fortune and Sergeant John Finch both reside in the same village in Hampshire. Though they may share the same geography, they do not share the same social status. They lead very different lives, but two factors link them together.Firstly they both belong to the same regiment: the Rifle Brigade. The second factor, however, is only known to one of them: they are related.The story opens as rumours circulate regarding the likelihood of the outbreak of the war and the regiment is subsequently posted to the Crimean Peninsula.The army lands and we follow Fortune and Finch from the battle of the Alma to the eventual fall of Sevastopol, where both men are involved in a secret and dangerous mission. Will they survive the war and their mission? Or will only one of them discover the truth behind their familial bond?