Against the background of a detailed description of the customs and morals of the highest nobility of the Ottoman state of the 16th century, the author narrates the bright and tragic fate of Ibrahim Pasha, the Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent. Youthful friendship with the Sultan, which grew into a long-term strong alliance, a rapid ascent to the heights of power, the formation of the character and qualities of a statesman with almost unlimited power, gaining fame as a successful warrior and a subtle diplomat, and finally the machinations of opponents and confrontation with the Sultan’s wife, cruel and prone to intrigues of Hurrem Sultan, which cost Ibrahim Pasha his life.