'Sharpe's Christmas' contains two short stories. In the title story Richard Sharpe, commanding the Prince of Wales's Own Volunteers, finds himself in a high, hard place with an enemy brigade on one side and a desperate force of Frenchmen fleeing their defeat in Spain on the other. The second story, 'Sharpe's Ransom', is set in France, after the wars, when old enemies take Sharpe's woman and child hostage.