Marina Olkhovskaya saw Prince Zagorsky for the first time in the garden of the Smolny Institute, where the young officer entered for a secret meeting with one of the students. The young Smolensk woman dreamed about him for many years, hoping that the day would come when they would join their hands and hearts. But love is not always mutual, and Marina will have to learn this bitter lesson on her own, almost losing her reputation in the world. She leaves St. Petersburg due to circumstances for several years, which she will spend in the hope of finding peace of mind away from the world and Prince Zagorsky. But the time comes to return to the capital and, fulfilling her duty to her family, go down the aisle with the one whom her parents indicate. Reluctantly, Marina returns to the city where her dreams once shattered, not even suspecting what a sharp turn will soon lie in her fate, and what role in this will be assigned to the one who once stole her heart.