The novel by the historical fiction writer Lev Grigorievich Zhdanov (1865 - 1951), widely known before the revolution, who gained recognition among Russian readers thanks to his historical research, presented in entertaining, dramatic, as a rule, narratives, reveals the last bitter years of the reign of Catherine II: the ruthless aging of the once a beautiful powerful woman - and the dilapidation of the once brilliant politics of Russia, which she entrusted to her last favorite Zubov.