Burn!

The British Admiralty sends Sir William Walker to organize an uprising of enslaved Africans against the Portuguese regime on Queimada. Upon arrival, he befriends the charismatic José Dolores and begins to win over influential landowners to reject Portuguese rule. His objective is to prepare the island for exploitation by the Antilles Royal Sugar Company.

Walker entices Dolores to take the lead of the slave uprising and uses his influence to turn key landowners against the Portuguese regime. Dolores accepts, joining a plan that aims to topple colonial rule on the island. The groundwork for a large-scale revolt is set in motion on Queimada.

Dolores's rebellion proves successful, shocking the colonial authorities. Walker immediately orchestrates a nighttime coup to assassinate the Portuguese governor and seize control. He then installs a regime that can be controlled by the Antilles Company.

Following the coup, Walker installs a puppet government headed by the idealistic Teddy Sanchez. The regime is designed to keep the island under company control while presenting a veneer of revolutionary reform. The local elite are brought into the fold to ensure stability for exploitation.

Walker persuades Dolores to recognize the new regime and surrender the rebels' arms. In return, the promise of abolition of slavery is offered as a concession to pacify the rebellion. The arrangement cements the regime's legitimacy while undermining true revolution.

Having achieved his mission, Walker departs Queimada to take on a new assignment in Indochina. The island's transformation under company influence continues in his absence. His departure signals a shift in the colonial project from direct rebellion to corporate domination.

In 1848, Dolores grows disgusted by the regime's collaboration with the Antilles Company and leads a second uprising to expel British influence from Queimada. The revolt re-ignites island-wide resistance against colonial rule. The power balance begins to fracture as the company tries to keep its grip.

From 1848 to 1854, Queimada endures a six-year uprising against Walker's puppet government and the interests of the Antilles Company. The resistance intensifies as the local population seeks true independence from colonial and corporate control. The conflict destabilizes the regime and heightens tensions on the island.

In 1854, the Antilles Company obtains Admiralty permission to restore order by returning Walker to Queimada. He is tasked with suppressing the revolt and restoring the company's dominance on the island. The move signals a hardening of the colonial project against the resistance.

Walker engineers the ousting of President Sanchez and installs a regime entirely beholden to the Antilles Company. The new government is designed to pacify the island and align it with corporate interests. The coup marks a turning point in the island's struggle for autonomy.

British forces arrive, guided by Walker, and quickly quell the rebellion. Dolores is captured as the movement's symbolic leader is neutralized. The show of force consolidates Walker's position and the company's control over Queimada.

Walker attempts to intervene to save Dolores from execution, but the rebel leader insists that freedom must be earned. Dolores is hanged, ending his leadership in the renewed uprising. The execution underscores the high cost of rebellion and Walker's compromised role.

Guilt-stricken, Walker is confronted by a man who stabs him as he prepares to depart Queimada. The assailant imitates Dolores's earlier greeting upon arrival, highlighting the islanders' anger at his complicity. He dies surrounded by the accusatory or passive looks of the port's poor.