The novel tells of dramatic events during the liberation war of the Ukrainian people against Polish–noble oppression (1648–1654). The epic scope, the breadth, and the dramatic portrayal of Bohdan Khmelnytsky make the novel compelling and gripping, full of all kinds of ups and downs through which the fate of the main character passes. The work is written in the voice of the hetman himself, surveying his life path before and after death— in glory.2