A tale of love and loyalty set against the background of the violent upheavals of the Napoleonic wars. Louis Clery joins the cavalry of the newly crowned Emperor"s legendary Imperial Guard and follows him as he moves across Europe from the blazing sun of the Spanish plains to the horror of the winter in Russia, taking war to his Emperor"s enemies. Not every battle is a professional one though, as he must first fight to convince the woman he loves that they have a future together and then to survive the personal enmity of a rival.