The narrator, a displaced French marquis posing as a Parisian goldsmith's apprentice, becomes entangled in the intrigues of a Russian boyar's household when he witnesses cruelty, mockery, and a mischievous dwarf. A spirited princess and a powerful czarevna sit at the heart of competing plots, while ambitious courtiers, a vindictive steward, and hired ruffians conspire, prompting secret alliances, daring escapes, duels, and surprising acts of repentance. The tale moves through palace rooms and country roads as loyalties shift and fortunes are tested before a tense resolution between rivals and friends.