The glorious era of the late 17th – early 18th centuries, “when young Russia matured with the genius of Peter.” The heroes of a fascinating historical novel by the famous Russian writer A. Volkov are two brothers, two people from a Streltsy family - Ilya and Yegor Markov. Separated in childhood, they will have to go through life on completely different paths. The younger one, having gone through many difficulties and experienced many exciting adventures, will become one of the “chicks of Petrov’s nest”, caressed by glory. The eldest will choose a different path - the lot of a rebel and a fighter for justice, forever living, as if on the edge of a knife...