The mid-17th century. Knowing that the health of the Polish king Władysław IV is in a critical condition, Queen Maria Gonzaga does everything in her power to find a possible claimant to the throne. The Sejm turns its attention to the Transylvanian prince Lajos (Luboș) Rákóczi. Moreover, Transylvania could become a reliable ally of Poland, replacing France weakened by years of war. At the same time, the General Clerk of the Rejestr (register) of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, Colonel Bohdan Khmelnytsky, is conducting a complex and dangerous diplomatic game. Driven by a desire for revenge for his son killed by the Poles and his wife taken captive, and also by the wish to free Ukraine from any form of dependence and oppression, he plans to ignite an all-Ukraine anti-Polish uprising. In terms of plot, this novel continues “By the Swords of the Baptized.”