Russian Empire, 1881. A couple of months ago, Emperor Alexander II was killed by terrorists. The state is waging a brutal and irreconcilable struggle against the nihilists who have raised their hands against the Anointed of God. Against the backdrop of such fateful events, no less interesting incidents occur in the distant Vologda province: the kidnapping of a capital princess, an attack on a police patrol, the destruction of a gang of convicts. Our contemporary was involved in all these events, who, by the will of fate, managed to cross the line between worlds.