Taking advantage of the amnesty that had been granted Tsar Ivan Ogareff, retired military and exile, instigates an invasion of Siberia by the Tartars. Driven by his desire for revenge, Ogareff convinces the Emir of Bukhara, Feofar Khan, and other khans of Turkestan free to carry out such an enterprise. However, all their hatred lies with the brother of the Czar, the Grand Duke, quartered in Irkutsk, the capital of Eastern Siberia. The Grand Duke does not know him personally, but has been the authority that has sent into exile.