The land of Perm has long been conquered and settled. In the Urals stand factories and mines, taking earthly riches for the benefit and prosperity of the Empire. Each spring, iron caravans move along the Chusovaya River.
Only a few living representatives of the ancient Vogul tribe remain. Schismatic sketes hide deep in the dark forests. Reckless travelers drift away, lost and fading.
The fame of Yermak’s free host has died down; Pugachev’s bloody uprising has been suppressed. But its echo still troubles souls and unsettles minds.
Pytari prowl the edges, seekers of the hidden Pugachev treasure. There are many rumors around it, but the truth is known by only one person: the missing skinner/slip-rigger, Petr Perekhod. His son, to protect his father’s good name, will take a long and winding path—through mysterious schismatic rites and terrifying Vogul magic, through lies and betrayal, losses, madness, blood, and death. He will learn the price of the truth. But can a soul like the turbulent spring Chusovaya ever find peace?