Returning to Saint Petersburg after a long exile, a dashing retired army officer makes a comfortable living by winning other people's duels. An enigmatic, focused, and extremely skilled professional, he leaves a trail of dead bodies behind him as he swirls through polite society, frequently called upon to wield a pistol as a surrogate in duels at dawn. But when he meets the naïve young Prince and his beautiful sister, Princess Martha, the normally cold-hearted mercenary is surprised by his undetected emotions. Now, his fate may change as a series of revelations is uncovered about his past and his present.