In 1598, a new sovereign, Boris Godunov, sat on the throne of the kingdom of Moscow. And he immediately rushed into the thick of European political intrigue, trying to strengthen his position and raise his prestige. He inherited from Ivan IV a Russian intelligence service that had already gained experience, primarily consisting of merchants and diplomats. Tsar Boris was immediately informed about the disgraced Swedish prince Gustav, the son of the deposed King Erich, living in exile in Riga. Godunov saw in the prince a chance to establish Muscovy’s influence in the Baltic and decided to marry his daughter Ksenia to him. And so, with the task of luring the prince to Belokamennaya, the merchant and most experienced spy Timofey Vykhodets goes to Riga...