The ruthless burning of Newark (present day Niagara-on-the-Lake) forces the terrified homeless to flee through a winter blizzard. This launches British agent Lt. Jonathon Westlake on an urgent quest to find and eliminate the notorious traitor Joseph Willcocks before any more damage is done. From the opulence of Dolley Madison's White House to the humble log cabins of Upper Canada, Westlake's prey remains elusive. Badly injured, the lieutenant meets Emma Hollinshead, an American who intimately nurses him back to health. The villages of Dover Mills and St. David's are next put to the torch until finally orders are delivered to the British navy that will bring the flames of destruction to the doors of Washington itself. There, Westlake will face a difficult question: How does one stay loyal to a friend when that friend drastically betrays his own principles?