1774, the reign of Catherine was under great threat from four sides. There is a war with Turkey, which can turn out for Russia either a successful peace or a crushing defeat. In addition, in Paris, in the hands of fugitive Poles and French adventurers, there is an important trump card against Catherine - Elizaveta Tarakanova, the self-proclaimed daughter of Elizabeth Petrovna. In the south of Russia, a peasant uprising by Emelyan Pugachev, another impostor who declared himself Peter III, flares up. Finally, danger is brewing in the palace: Panin is considering options for transferring power from Catherine to Paul. The fate of Russia depends on the decisions of the Empress.