Mid-nineteenth century. In Kyiv, educational works are gaining popularity, and the idea of nationalism is gaining ground. Young students put on the Ukrainian scroll as a sign of their nationality, as a symbol of pride in their culture, as a protest against despotism towards the Ukrainian people. There are calls for the education of the common people: the creation of folk schools, the publication of books in their native language...

The novel focuses on several generations of Kyiv intellectuals. Some of them are loyal supporters of the system of the time, while others are ready to nurture and spread science and native culture. Will these ideas overcome the resistance of the tsarist autocracy? Or will these sincere aspirations be dragged down by the black clouds of the imperial system that have already hung over the thin rays of the Ukrainian awakening?