Count Starkhazsky killed his best friend in order to be with his wife. Everyone around is gossiping about the affair between the count and his friend's wife. There is no doubt, because both the servants and Countess Storn herself found Count Starkhazsky with a bloody knife in his hand next to the body of his friend. The imperial security investigators have no doubts either. But the daughter of Count Starkhazsky does not believe in her father’s guilt and, taking advantage of the right granted to her family, turns directly to the emperor. He cannot go against the law, but offers a way out. If Verolda Westerhouse, the daughter of Count Starkhaz, is confident in her father’s innocence, then he will give her the opportunity to seek help from the Summoned, Natalya Astakhova, who arrives in the empire at his personal invitation. But suddenly a simple case of murder motivated by jealousy turns into a continuation of the case of the murdered imperial ambassador . Suspicion falls on the conspirators who are trying to undermine the situation in the two counties, which previously unconditionally supported the ruling emperor.