Between 1750 and 1815, Britain lost one empire, won another, and emerged from the blood-soaked Napoleonic wars as the greatest power the world had ever known. But at the very centre of the Empire's success lies a secret institution, the Decipherers. These are the code breakers and interceptors - trusted agents whose trade carries them straight into the heart of the deepest conflicts. Among them is young Alistair Douglas...

Between 1750 and 1815, Britain lost one empire, won another, and emerged from the blood-soaked Napoleonic wars as the greatest power the world had ever known. But at the very centre of the Empire's success lies a secret institution, the Decipherers. These are the code breakers and interceptors - trusted agents whose trade carries them straight into the heart of the deepest conflicts. Among them is young Alistair Douglas.

He arrives in Bengal as a 'writer' for the East India Company in 1756, just as the whole province is thrown into confusion by the rise ,to power of the new nawab whose army makes common cause with the French and marches against the Company's stronghold in Calcutta. Douglas finds himself thrown into the midst of battles and intrigues that will decide the fate of the Company - and the British nation - in the East.

Caught between belligerent superiors, a married woman he adores and the cannon fire of the enemy, he must try to survive at any cost...