Khartoum

In the 1880s, the Egyptian Army, led by British officers, suffers a devastating defeat in the Sudan. The British government is torn between fulfilling its commitment to protect Egyptians in Khartoum and avoiding direct military involvement in a foreign war. They turn to General Charles "Chinese" Gordon, a renowned figure in the Sudan, who had previously eradicated the slave trade. Gordon agrees to arrange the evacuation, but also decides to defend the city against the forces of Mohammed Ahmed el Mahdi, a charismatic leader known as "The Expected One".