Khartoum

In the 1880s, the Egyptian Army, led by British officers, suffers a devastating defeat in Sudan. The British government is torn between its reluctance to engage in a foreign war and its commitment to protect Egyptians in Khartoum. They turn to General Charles "Chinese" Gordon, a renowned hero in Sudan, who had eradicated the slave trade. Gordon agrees to oversee the evacuation, but also decides to defend the city against the forces of Mohammed Ahmed el Mahdi, known as "The Expected One", and urges the British to send troops.