Eight-year-old Emperor Ivan faces a whole galaxy of claimants to the throne of the Russian Empire. On the outskirts, the remains of ships destroyed by American and Ottoman squadrons still smolder, while at the very heart of the state a new slaughter is already beginning. Ptolemy Graus, Admiral Desse, and the imperial princes who proclaimed themselves the only lawful heirs raise a rebellion and seek to eliminate the young autocrat.
What can a child put against war-seasoned traitorous admirals? Yet the past has proven more than once: audacity and courage often prevail over experience and cold calculation. And is the little emperor really as inexperienced as it seems at first glance?