The author paints a broad panorama of events that took place in the Russian state at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries. At the center of the narrative are the figures of Boris Godunov, one of the largest figures of the Russian Middle Ages, and False Dmitry I. The main attention is paid to revealing the social roots of imposture. The book provides vivid biographical information about Tsar Boris and Grigory Otrepiev, and provides an objective assessment of their role in the events of the Time of Troubles.< /p>