Sister of the Bulgar-Slayer, a princess born in the purple of Constantinople, Anna is forced to marry the ruler of Kiev, Vladimir, under the condition that all his subjects be baptized as Orthodox Christians.
A humble palace scribe, in love with the princess, follows her to Cherson in Crimea and then to her new homeland. In his old age, he reminisces about the great adventure they experienced together, from the luxuries and intrigues of the Byzantine Court to life in poor and frozen Kiev. How they faced the reactions of the powerful to the temptations and dangers of power, and how they devoted themselves to the effort of transmitting Byzantine culture to the Varangians and Slavs in Eastern Europe.
A historical novel about power, politics, love, the common nature of people, and the distant beginning of a cultural transformation that shaped the identity of Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians to this day.