High Noon, 21st April 1747! The hastily-formed militia of Goudhurst confronts a vicious smuggling gang. They have had only three days to prepare a defence of their town. The smugglers threaten to burn it to the ground and kill everyone there. The defence is led by Will Sturt, a soldier just returned from the wars. He commands the militia in an epic battle against seemingly impossible odds. It is the age of muzzle-loaders, bawdy tavern life, and red-coated dragoons. Lust, brutality and murder rule, despite the ever-present shadow of the gibbet cage. This is a true story, imaginatively reconstructed from the known facts.