Burn!

In 1844, the British Admiralty sends Sir William Walker to the island of Queimada. His mission is to organize an uprising of enslaved Africans that will destabilize the Portuguese regime and pave the way for a company-friendly government. He begins covertly winning allies among landowners and key figures to seed a rebellion. The overarching plan is to replace the old rule with one controlled by pliable white planters.

On arrival, Walker befriends the charismatic José Dolores and entices him to lead the rebellion. He also persuades leading landowners to reject Portuguese authority, widening support for the uprising. The scheme is designed to create a favorable base for British economic interests.

Dolores's rebellion succeeds in toppling the old regime, and Walker orchestrates a nighttime coup to assassinate the Portuguese governor. He then installs a puppet government headed by the idealistic yet ineffectual Teddy Sanchez. The regime promises reform while remaining dependent on the Antilles Company.

Walker convinces Dolores to recognize the new regime and surrender his arms in exchange for the abolition of slavery. The puppet government is shaped to serve the interests of the Antilles Company and its white planter allies.

Having accomplished his mission, Walker moves on to his next assignment in Indochina. His departure signals a temporary stabilization of Queimada under company control.

In 1848, Dolores grows disgusted with the regime's collaboration with the Antilles Company and leads a second uprising to expel British influence. He seeks to restore Queimada's independence and end outside meddling.

Six years into the uprising, the struggle persists against the puppet regime and the interests of the Antilles Company. The rebellion tests the island's governance and threatens to redraw the regional balance of power.

The Company locates Walker in Plymouth, England and returns him to Queimada with the Admiralty's consent to suppress the revolt and pacify the island. His return signals the beginning of a renewed phase of intervention.

Walker engineers a coup, ousting and executing President Sanchez and installing a regime wholly beholden to the Company. The new government tightens its grip on Queimada and aligns fully with corporate interests.

British forces are invited to the island and, guided by Walker, quickly quell the rebellion and capture Dolores. The operation demonstrates the continued power of external influence over Queimada's fate.

Dolores is executed by hanging, marking a brutal end to the resistance leadership. His death underscores the regime's capacity to suppress rebellion despite popular support. The scene cements the collapse of the independence movement on the island.

Guilt-ridden, Walker is accosted as he prepares to depart Queimada and is stabbed by a man who greets him as Dolores did years earlier. He dies amid the accusatory or passive looks of the port's poor, a stark end to a manipulative campaign.