The destinies of the first Russian Empress Catherine I and the mysterious beauty Marya Danilovna are intertwined so closely that they cannot be separated. Who is the femme fatale who appeared in St. Petersburg at the end of the reign of Peter the Great and rose from complete obscurity to the pinnacle of wealth and power, becoming the maid of honor of the empress? Why did she have such unlimited power over the royalty? The entire court of Peter I was in an unprecedented commotion, and even the all-powerful favorite of Tsar Menshikov could not cope with the insidious adventuress. In her hands is the secret of the empress's past, she goes towards her goal, sacrificing the lives of the men in love with her. She is so beautiful and charming that she seduces the king himself. But there are also sinister secrets in her life that can lead to death. Following the adventuress as a persistent shadow is the handsome gypsy man Alim, who is in love with her, ready to tell about the crimes committed by Marya. So who will prevail in this sophisticated and ruthless war? Beauty Marya Danilovna or loyal companions of Tsar Peter? Or maybe Peter the Great will turn into a hostage of sinful passion, and the history of Russia will take a completely different path? You will learn about this by reading the most mysterious novel in the entire history of Russian adventure fiction. The book was previously published under the title “The Adventuress.”