At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, on the edge of the lands of the Russian Empire, in the remote taiga, lurked a village unknown to service ranks, not listed in government papers, unknown to anyone. People lived here, their own masters, without taxes, without a police officer and without any power. Who are they: dashing robbers or escaped convicts, slaves or freedom seekers? What made them hide in the wilderness, human happiness or grief? And will they want to exchange their freemen for the tutelage of a provincial official and his assistants?