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 a naive young prince and his beautiful sister, Princess Martha (Yuliya Khlynina), the normally cold-hearted mercenary is surprised by his unexpected emotions. Now, his fate may change as a series of revelations is uncovered about his past and his present.