A self-rolled cigarette was the name in the old days for a marriage entered into without permission, without the blessing of the parents. In the fall of 1762, guardsman Borshchev, who is in love, mutually, but does not hope to obtain the consent of the father of his chosen one, decides to undertake just such an adventure. Because of the adventure, Borshchev faces trial, but this is not the main problem. A month earlier, Borshchev recklessly settled in the same house with his colleagues - the Guryev brothers, and they turned out to be troublemakers who wanted to overthrow Empress Catherine II. Now prove that you are not guilty! And the punishment for troublemaking is much more severe than for rolling a cigarette. The novel, written by the classic of Russian historical prose Evgeniy Salias, is based on a little-known episode of the reign of Catherine II - a conspiracy of the guards led by the Guryev brothers and Pyotr Khrushchev. Inspired by the success of the Orlov brothers, who brought Catherine to power, the conspirators decided to carry out a new coup, but were arrested shortly after Catherine’s coronation.