Secret corridors, hidden doors, dark niches: When the orphan Varvara arrives as a maid at the Winter Palace, she quickly learns to make use of her discretion and keen observation. No intrigue escapes her, no whisper goes unheard. She soon becomes one of the most important "spies" in the palace. When the young Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst - the future Catherine the Great - comes to court and needs an ally on her path to power, Varvara becomes her closest confidante. Eventually, Catherine ascends to the throne - the inexperienced outsider transforms into one of the most powerful women of her time.

Eva Stachniak's opulent novel about the unusual friendship between two women takes the reader into a world where passion and intimacy collide with treachery and betrayal - into the abyssally mysterious world of the Russian court, draped in heavy brocade and crackling silk.