Stepan Razin is one of the most mysterious figures in Russian history; it is authentically known about him is very little, a single line, they are written, has not survived, although presumably he was competent and knew eight languages; it is the whole, from birth to death — a pure myth and mystery. Who is he by nationality? Whether he was throwing a Persian Princess into the Volga, and Prince prozorovskiy — from the bell tower? He was a dashing pirate, a compassionate protector of the oppressed or the ambitious politician? What started all that brought him fame and ended so badly? The author invites the reader to engage together fascinating detective work — based on the documents, to unravel the tangles of the myths, ancient and modern, and try to understand the enigmatic man who lived so long before us.