The protagonist, who is engaged to a young compatriot, meets a beautiful American woman, heiress to a huge fortune. Every day the situation becomes more and more ambiguous - it is clear that this story cannot end in anything good ...For the first time, the Russian reader has the opportunity to get acquainted with the translation of the novel, made according to the most complete academic edition. The text is supplemented by the author's preface to the 1909 edition, excerpts from the notebooks and letters of Henry James.The publisher's layout has been preserved in a4.pdf format.