The crisis of the Empire has passed. The culprits have been punished, but not everything is going smoothly yet. While life goes on as usual, new delicate problems keep coming to light—problems that must be solved not only quickly, but also tactfully. Maxim Abramov must once again plunge into the whirl of events and regain control of a country that is slipping from the Emperor’s grip. The more effort he puts in, the sharper the turn that History sets into motion becomes. Only one wrong step separates the Russian Empire from collapse—but no one can predict in which direction that step must not be taken.