June 1812. Napoleon crosses the Neman, Bagration retreats in a hurry. A division of the enemy army stops at the estate of the Lipetsk princes - Privolye. Forced to share shelter with a French major and a military surgeon, the Lipetsk family maintain a tense truce. However, soon something terrible happens in Privolye, and Buonaparte clearly has nothing to do with it. An unknown murderer steals serf girls, who are later found strangled. There is a war going on, and an official investigation is impossible, nevertheless, the young Princess Lipetskaya and the major of the French army decide that the concepts of Christian morality are higher than the conflict of European sovereigns, and begin their own investigation. But how can one find the trace of a child killer in a district shaken up by the Napoleonic invasion? Can you trust your enemy? Is it worth it to a neighbor? And what to do when horror creeps into the walls of your home, turning those closest to you into terrible strangers?..