1745. The reigning Empress Elizabeth Petrovna is infertile. The only heir is her feeble-minded nephew Peter III. Elizabeth cannot allow Peter to ascend to the throne, so she decides to marry the tsarevich, wait for the birth of her son, and then take the boy and raise him as a real Russian emperor herself. Brides are coming to St. Petersburg. Among them is the lovely Fike - the young Princess Sofia Frederica from the impoverished branch of the Prussian kings.
In 1779, Empress Catherine II is already called the Great by everyone, thanks to her closest associate, the influential Princess Dashkova. Her loyal comrade and, in fact, the second person in the state is the most serene Prince Potemkin, the former favorite, the crowned husband of Catherine. The personal life of the empress, as before, is full of passions and love affairs. However, despite everything, Catherine does not forget about important state affairs. Among them is the manifesto on succession to the throne. The Empress decides to pass the throne to her grandson Alexander, bypassing the legitimate heir - her son Paul. However, the Tsarevich is not going to give up his rights and will fight to the end! A new struggle for power begins...