After taking control of the remnants of a principality, Pyotr Voronov understands that the emperor expects him to fail. A shortage of men, an empty treasury, and hostile relatives are only the tip of the iceberg. A sudden summons to Svyatoslavsk reveals a new threat: his brother, Lёnya, having despaired of winning the hand of his beloved, is ready to pay criminals for a dubious gift—“Grain of the Blight.”