The era of "great turmoil" is the historical background of the novel, on which the Russian tragedy of the 17th century is played out - the tragedy of the state, people and the tragedy of personalities such as Tsar Boris Godunov and his family, the princes of Shuisky and, finally, the title character himself... Dimitri the Pretender is represented in the novel by an outstanding, educated man, strong-willed, ardent, but fatal in kind, in the magnetism of whose passions the Russian tsar, and large Polish magnates, and the sophisticated proud Greek Karelia, and the tsar's daughter Ksenia Godunova, and the beautiful Marina Mnisheh were involved...