In 1770 in Bessarabia and Wallachia, fusillade and cannon salvos thunder. On the Danubian lowlands, the armies of the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire clash in fierce opposition. Unter-officer Alexey Yegorov of the Apsheron Infantry Regiment fought through the Battle of Kagul, the siege, and the capture of the Bender fortress. He is no longer the conscript “sergeant lad” waiting to come of age on his father’s estate—now he is a battle-hardened “unter Lyoshka,” no stranger to death’s gaze. Behind him is a squad of riflemen—hunters— and in his hands is a faithful, reliable father’s rifle. And only one step remains before he receives his first officer’s rank—a warrant officer.