If Peter I was a “revolutionary on the throne,” then the reign of his grandson represents an attempt to return to the times of Muscovite Rus'. Peter II preferred the line of his father, who was executed by his grandfather. Never before has the issue of a young sovereign's marriage been of such great importance.

It was literally a matter of life and death for influential court groups. It was also a question of where Russia would go next...

The works included in the book tell about the period of the reign of Peter II, about the successful or unhappy fate of representatives of different classes.