Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The first Russian sovereign to accept this title. Perhaps the most tragic and controversial figure of our past. Historians are still wondering: how did a brilliant young man who sincerely wanted to be a just king turn into a cruel despot who enjoys the blood and pain of his subjects? How did a devout believer become a polygamist, a “corrupter of virgins” and a murderer of his own son? Why did such a promising reign, which began with great reforms, victories and achievements, degenerate into the absolute hell of the oprichnina? And why did the People and the Church silently bow before the Terrible Tsar? Only one person dared to contradict him openly, to his face - Metropolitan Philip, who raised his voice against extrajudicial reprisals, suffered persecution and accepted death for his faith. The tsar destroyed the rebellious metropolitan - but was never able to break him. This poignant story about the confrontation between Man and Power, Conscience and Arbitrariness is at the center of the new novel by the popular author.