There is no rest for the sovereign of Muscovy, Alexei Mikhailovich, nicknamed the Quietest. External enemies have been pacified, but in the lower reaches of the Volga the flame of the Cossack freemen flares up under the leadership of the daring Stenka Razin. And uninvited guests are persistently creeping into the Russian North, who really want not only to find a sea route to the mysterious Mangazeya, but also to settle down on the alien shores of the Cold Sea. A new novel by a recognized master of action-packed literature.