Eight-year-old Emperor Ivan is left alone against numerous claimants to the throne of the Russian Empire. While ships destroyed by American and Ottoman squadrons are still burning out in the border systems, a new war is already raging in the heart of the state. Ptolemy Graus, Admiral Desse, and the imperial princes—who have proclaimed themselves the true heirs to the throne—challenge the young autocrat, trying to clear his path.
What could an inexperienced boy oppose to battle-hardened traitorous admirals? But history knows many examples of how youth and courage defeated experience and cynical calculation. Besides, is the little emperor really as inexperienced as he seems at first glance?