Pensioner Varvara Yegorovna thought her life had turned out well. But one day, along with her household, she was torn out of her familiar world and sent to a magical offshore.
Now, instead of a dog, she has a thief of strawberries—Gorynych the serpent; the postman is a shape-shifting werewolf; and to get back home, she has to pay a magical tax.
But where can she get that very magic when there are cucumbers and cabbage in the garden, and at home there’s only a cat—who turns out to be a hereditary household spirit? Evidently, Varvara will have to get settled in her new place while searching for a way home. Only the Emperor Pea—who keeps showing up at the doorstep—shouldn’t distract her, and neither should the lewd Finist, who has gotten into the habit of muddying the waters…