Lt. Harry Faversham is the protagonist, a sensitive officer who resigns due to personal trauma and lacks military ambition. After burning deployment telegrams to avoid Sudan, he is falsely labeled a coward and ostracized by his fiancée and three friends. To redeem his honor, he travels to Sudan disguised as an Arab, systematically rescuing Durrance, Willoughby, and Trench from life-threatening situations. He ultimately returns to England, reconciles with his stern father, rejects a commission, and reunites with Ethne.