The much wounded Count Rapp recounts his services under the Emperor Napoleon across Europe and into the depths of Russia. His frequent battlefield exploits, including a decisive charge with the Imperial Guard cavalry at Austerlitz, are balanced by polished descriptions of the court of the First Empire. Rapp's rise is charted from obscurity in the armies of the Republic to catching the attention of General Desaix whilst fighting on the Rhine, and thereafter General Bonaparte in Egypt and Italy, to the pinnacle of rank as the Emperor's first aide-de-camp, General de Division, and Count of the Empire.