Captain-Commander Vitus Behring (1681-1741) was born in Denmark, but rightfully entered the history of Russia as a great traveler, discoverer of new lands. Having joined the Russian service in his youth, he was for many years a faithful assistant to Peter the Great in creating the navy. Shortly before his death, the emperor entrusted him with an important task — exploring the eastern borders of Russia and searching for the strait separating it from America. Bering devoted the rest of his life to fulfilling Peter's will, commanding first the expedition to Kamchatka, and then the Great Northern Expedition, whose detachments explored the lands from the Ob to the Amur. Despite the shortage of people and supplies, harsh natural conditions, and obstacles from local authorities, the commander was able to complete most of the tasks he faced. The price of this was his life — he died of scurvy on the island he discovered, which later received his name, as well as the newly discovered Bering Strait between Asia and America. Many books have been written about Bering's travels, but his biography is still full of blank spots. In her book, writer Olga Pogodina uses a wide range of sources to recreate the commander's deeds as fully as possible against the broad historical background of his era.