The traitors hiding under the roof of their family home were found and punished. But where do the threads woven into a sophisticated tangle of conspiracy lead? The young Prince Gorchakov will have to confront rogue guardsmen, outraged rebels, the people sent by the German Kaiser to aid the crisis, and one legendary general who went over to the dark side. Sometimes, all of them at once. The hands of the Third Section are tied, the police are powerless, the army is doing nothing to stop the madness, and the Gifted aristocrats are fleeing the capital like rats from a sinking ship. The empire is on the verge of a catastrophe the likes of which haven’t been seen in centuries. Is one person able to prevent this downfall?