Plot

An introspective look at Ivan IV's tumultuous reign as he chronicled his life's journey from a promising ruler to the notorious exploring the complex layers of his psyche that shaped the course of Russian history.

Ivan the Terrible is the most discussed Character in the Russian history. At the same time, Ivan is the most unsolved mystery of the Russian Czars. The scale of his political achievements has always overshadowed a living person, and the unparalleled cruelty that entered folklore literally ruled out the possibility of a more complex view of character. The series is an humble attempt to understand the origins of the actions of Ivan IV and look into the dark labyrinth of his soul. 1571. Moscow was destroyed after a fierce raid by the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey. Ivan the Terrible, deciding that his kingdom had come to an end, he began to write a chronicle of his life. He remembers his early orphanhood, the humiliation of the Boyars, friends who became enemies, and enemies to whom he was ruthless. He cannot escape the memories of his wife Anastasia, whose marriage was the happiest period of his life, the love that illuminated the first years of his reign. He conquered Kazan, created a new army, established a new law system, and had an heir. But soon the bright reign comes to an end: the heir dies, the beloved wife, and the former faithful advisers one by one turn into traitors. Ivan IV of Russia is gradually reborn into the same Ivan the Terrible - a cruel tyrant. And now rumors of his ruthlessness and violent temper are becoming true, and these changes in the character of the king are changing history. Enemies are approaching Russia - will the country be able to survive?