1906. Young aristocrat Bertram 'Bo' West is disgraced on the cricket pitch in a dirty, underhand trick designed to see him robbed of his beloved, Lady Jane Ponsonby. Innocent but shamed, Bo decides there is only one thing left to do: accompanied by manservant Simpson, he heads to the African desert to join the French Foreign Legion.

Arriving in Algeria, he finds himself in Sidi Bel Abbes and ascertains the nearest Legion encampment to be at Fort Zuassantneuf, and he - and Simpson - duly sign on, under the control of Commandant Burger, Sergeant Nocker and Captain Le Pice.

Un-used to such a lifestyle, West and Simpson soon find themselves literally up to their necks in trouble with Nocker, but his is a voice Simpson recognises from an earlier stop on their trip.

Not long after their arrival, Lady Jane is in hot pursuit, having discovered the truth about the cricket match. But with a local tribe set on laying waste to the fort and all inside, not to mention Jane's past, Burger's love and Nocker's laziness, reuniting the young English lovers is easier said than done.