The heroes of the first part, Hrytsyk and Sanko, have grown up and matured in the second novel of the historical trilogy, and now take part on equal terms with the other Cossacks in armed raids against the Tatars. But in this novel their paths diverge somewhat, and despite their continuing friendship, each will have to solve somewhat different tasks and master different skills. Yet together they stand at the origins of the founding of the forward outpost guarding the Ukrainian land — the Zaporizhian Sich.