The early Middle Ages. A time of heavy swords and dark blood law. The ruling clan is in discord. The guilt for the accidental death of the brother has fallen on the Grand Duke. According to the law, revenge must be taken by the younger brother, a bastard. For the refusal to kill, he has to pay with eve- rything he had, because “for peace you need more swords than for a war”...
Grigory, the son of an oligarch, is fully rehabilitated after his humbling experience as a 19th-century serf. Moreover, he develops a strong sense of moral justice. When he meets a pampered young socialite named Katya, he is abhorred by her insolent escapades. Grigory transports Katya “back in time” to teach her a valuable lesson about humility.
A writer in 1930s Moscow has his work banned and is expelled from the official union, leaving him without income. He then writes a novel about a mysterious dark visitor and gradually starts confusing his real life with the story.
