About the series
The year is 1725. Peter I, the first All-Russian Emperor and the last Tsar of all Rus', rewrites his will before his death, leaving governance of the country to his beloved younger daughter — sixteen-year-old Elizabeth. But the young grand duchess dreams of something entirely different. She is desperately in love and unwilling to sacrifice her personal happiness for power. She sees the will as a curse. To her surprise, the grand duchess finds herself with enemies among the most influential courtiers: Vice-Chancellor Andrei Osterman and Prince Alexander Menshikov. Even her own mother, Catherine I, suddenly turns into a wicked stepmother, seeing in her daughter nothing but a rival for the throne. Against her will, Elizabeth is drawn into a whirlwind of palace intrigue. Her father's will, once it falls into her enemies' hands, becomes a real threat to her future.