The Prodigal Child

The middle of the 17th century. A boyar Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin, carrying out important assignments of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, holds negotiations with foreign diplomats. And his only pampered son, Voyen, after listening to tales about an enlightened Europe, one fine day runs off to Poland, taking with him the secret letters of the ruler. In pursuit go the clerk Arseniy Shumilov of the Office of Foreign Affairs and his spirited subordinates—Ivashka and Petruha. A Frenchwoman, Anrietta, joins them; some years earlier fate brought her to Moscow. Many adventures await both the fugitive and those chasing him. But they manage to bring the wiser Voyen back home after years of wandering, and a prominent role in this was played by the famous painter Rembrandt van Rijn…