In December 1876, a conference of the great powers - Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy and Russia - was held in Istanbul. A project to create two autonomous Bulgarian regions with the capitals of Sofia and Tarnovo is being discussed. The Turkish government refuses the draft, arguing that the new constitution " ensures peace and good governance of the entire empire." The plot is based on the personal drama of two Bulgarian immigrants. One of them is an agent of the Russian government in Istanbul. The other is an employee at the home of the British Colonial Secretary. The relationship of the two with the other characters shows that the story is built not only on the " advance ", but also "behind the scenes".