Riga at the beginning of the 19th century was a boring province of the Russian Empire, inhabited by German burghers, Russian merchants and Latvian peasants. Ivan Andreevich Krylov - not yet a famous fabulist, but a promising ambitious writer - is forced to waste his youth in the sovereign's service. However, Krylov has another, less well-known passion - cards. The search for the place where the Great Game is taking place leads Ivan Andreevich to a certain mysterious French woman, Countess de Gachet. She calls herself a student of the great Cagliostro, knows a lot about poisons and seems to have mastered hypnosis. The Countess is connected with a company of sharpers; nothing is known for certain about her origins and plans. However, people who fall into her sphere of interest are found poisoned or considered missing. A brilliant fabulist and a brilliant adventurer. The intersection of their destinies becomes a continuation of one incredible but true story.