Rus' of the 9th century was not a single state. In the north, around Nevo-Lake, Ilmen and Ladoga, the Varangian Rus settled, and their capital on the Volkhov River - Novogorod - quickly turned into a rich market place. But where there is wealth, there is envy, and where there is envy, there is betrayal. And now the younger brother of Prince Rurik, Vodim the Brave, raises a rebellion in alliance with the dissatisfied Magi. And in the south, on the banks of the Dnieper, lies the Polyanskaya land, rich in grain and fat herds. Its rulers, the brother-princes Askold and Dir, declared the small town of Kyiv the capital. But all is not well here either. Although there is a common enemy - the Khazars, there is no peace between the brothers. Askold dies at the hands of Dir, but he won’t escape the reckoning either!..