Aleksandr Lazarev Jr.

A group of officers of the Russian Imperial Guard prepare a revolt in December 1825, when about 3,000 officers and soldiers refused to swear allegiance to the new tsar.

A young officer, Ivan Demarin, is sent to the depths of Siberia. Here Ivan meets his first love and, together with his regiment, finds himself drawn into a conspiracy by local princes, who are hunting for Yarkand's gold.