As Paddy Mayne grapples with the death of his father, the capture of David Stirling, and trauma suffered from the war thus far - he must turn his attention to fighting the threat of disbandment of the SAS; the future of the unit comes under question.
Paddy leads the SAS (now temporarily named the SRS) into Augusta, but the group is surprised to find the town empty; making a base in the Chisea Madre Church, the men meet a priest who delivers a proposition - directly from the Sicilian Mafia.
As Paddy adopts a different approach towards authority, the traumatic toll that the war is having on the men becomes more visible; a captured soldier from the Regiment realizes that the Commando Order issued by Hitler may have sealed his fate.
As the captured soldier attempts to make his way back to the regiment, the men of the SAS receive a visit from two senior Generals; Bill worries that Paddy will cause trouble; at Gavi, David Stirling prepares to make another escape attempt.
The SAS return to Britain and are given time to decompress from the events in Italy; Bill is shocked to hear about the intended role for the SAS in the invasion of France and makes his feelings known, much to the displeasure of the senior Generals.
Stirling and Lewes plan to parachute men into the desert to attack behind enemy lines.
Recovering in the hospital, Stirling ruminates on the Lewes idea and hatches an audacious plan.
The newly recruited members of the SAS embark on a disastrous first mission.
As the SAS reputation spreads, another daring mission ends with a devastating loss.
Stirling leads a raid on Benghazi while Paddy trains the newly arrived Free French soldiers.