The first novel from the series “The Thunderstorm of the Twelfth Year” is about the Cherkassky family. His Serene Highness Prince Alexei Cherkassky was satisfied with the life of a rich bachelor, and the parents did not plan to marry off the young Countess Ekaterina Belskaya. But strange deaths that occurred in both families force Emperor Alexander I to make a decision: the heirs of two noble families must marry. For Alexei, this wedding is a means to avoid disgrace, for Katya it is protection from the mysterious enemies pursuing her family. But love flares up in young hearts, regardless of calculations. Will this feeling be able to pass the tests prepared by fate, because in addition to the enemies of the family, the lovers are confronted by the war that has fallen like a thunderstorm on Russia?