About the book: 2012 / Sophia is educated and pretty, but she is the illegitimate daughter of a master and a serf. By remaining faithful to her fiancé and refusing one brave hussar, she made herself a dangerous enemy. The visiting philanderer Prizvanov, who served only as an instrument of someone else’s revenge, blackmails the girl he dishonored with a carelessly written letter. The groom learns about her shame. A duel is scheduled for the next day…