Under Two Flags

Summary

In the sun-baked, politically volatile crucible of colonial Algeria, a man known only as Lewis Victor endures the harsh privations of the French Foreign Legion. Yet, beneath the anonymity of his military uniform, beats the heart of Bertie Cecil, a British aristocrat in self-imposed exile, fleeing the ignominy of a crime his dissolute brother truly committed. His existence is a poignant tapestry woven with the threads of duty and concealed identity, complicated by the incendiary affections of Cigarette, a spirited camp follower whose devotion burns with an untamed ferocity. Despite her fierce loyalty, Victor's gaze remains fixed on another, a beacon of refined elegance amidst the desert's stark brutality. Adding to his peril, a malevolent commandant, fueled by an inexplicable animosity, relentlessly engineers Victor's deployment into the most perilous skirmishes. The relentless Algerian landscape becomes a character in itself, mirroring the internal turmoil and external dangers he navigates. This perilous charade, however, is destined for a seismic disruption when the very architect of his exile—his brother—unexpectedly resurfaces, bringing with him the tantalizing, yet treacherous, possibility of redemption and the long-awaited exoneration of his sullied name.

Synopsis

Lewis Victor of the French Foreign Legion is actually Bertie Cecil, a British nobleman hiding from dishonour for a crime actually committed by his brother. He is loved by Cigarette, a camp follower, but he only has eyes for another. The commandant hates him, and Victor is constantly placed in danger in war-torn Algeria. Then his brother arrives, and with him, a chance to clear his name.