Eighteenth-century Russia, where the dazzling opulence of court life ignores a murky world of poverty and suffering; a country where greed and corruption prevail. Yet for Sophie, a lesser German princess poised on the brink of womanhood, this is the fairytale land of wealth and power which she alone is destined to rule.

Her heart fired with ambition, Sophie is whisked away from her ancestral home into marriage with Peter Ulrich, heir to the Imperial throne. Spirited, intelligent, wise beyond her years, she soon earns a place in the Tsarina Elizabeth's affections and a new identity as the Grand Duchess, Catherine Alexeyevna.

A book about the first years of Catherine the Great.