Alexander Lemeshev, a fencing coach, thrown by the will of fate into the body of the illegitimate son of Count Jean V d'Armagnac, one of the last feudal rulers by God's grace, returns to snowy Muscovy to his wife Alexandra, daughter of Grand Duke Ivan III. A fierce confrontation lies ahead. with the Hansa, a campaign in the Kazan Khanate and the siege of Kazan itself. Very soon in Europe they will understand that another powerful player has appeared on the political arena - that same mysterious Tartaria, which was previously known only through confused rumors and fables.