The novella "By the Great Don" is the author's original interpretation of the Battle of Kulikovo and the events preceding it.
Moscow Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, commander Bobrok-Volynsky, boyar Brenk, Khan Mamai and his entourage, as well as ordinary people — the warrior-plowman Yerema, his fiancée Alyona, and Horde warriors Akhmat and Tursun — are shown in the complex intertwining of their destinies and the uniqueness of their characters.