From poverty-stricken beginnings to untold riches, from the wilds of the Swedish Empire to the fabulous court of Tsar Peter the Great, within the grim and fabled walls of the Kremlin, Tanya de la Verrière is swept along in a world where women are the pawns and playthings of men. Tanya is a woman born out of her time. Strong and wilful, she battles against overwhelming odds to find her own way in life, to be true to herself and loyal to the friends and lovers she meets along the way. In a time of turmoil, in a land still gripped by mediaeval concepts, she struggles on to find her ultimate destiny. Tanya's life takes her from rural Sweden into Russia where she is swept into life in Moscow during the reign of Peter the Great, on to the Court of the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, and back to Russia where she is caught up in the Great Northern War between Russia and her original homeland, Sweden. Desired by many, she gives her heart to one man only, fighting against all odds to finally win happiness.