The Great Khan and the ruler of the Golden Horde, Khan Berke, meets a girl in the steppes. In hopes that she will wake in him a long-extinguished male force and give him a long-awaited heir, the khan sends his best warriors for her.

Returning to GHQ, the Khan receives unpleasant news: Iran's Ilkhan Hulagu, his longtime enemy and contender for the Khan's throne, gathers an army to go to war with the Golden Horde. In order to strengthen the Mongol army, Berke sends his nephew Mengu-Temir to Russia with instructions to drive 40 thousand soldiers from there.

Before going on the road, Grand Duke Yaroslav asks Ustinia not to scream or cry, so as not to disturb the people. But Ustinia, shocked by the betrayal of her husband and holding a grudge against the Grand Duke, loses control and weeps helplessly before the crowd, which almost provokes an uprising.

Mother Mengu-Temir reproaches her son after he risks angering the Great Khan. Ush-Khatun comes to the harem, where they brought Ustinia. Seeing her disobedience, she orders to take away her beloved servant Matren, the only close person in a foreign land, and put the stamp of slave on the princess's shoulder.

Gossip that Nargiz gave herself to Yeremey quickly rolls over through the tower. Radmila is in a hurry to announce the news to her husband, in hopes that he will immediately baptize Nargiz and pass off Yeremey. Radmila asks her husband to become the godfather of Nargiz's child, in order to create even more moral obstacles to intimacy with the girl.

Ustinha realizes that with open resistance she will only shorten her life. After giving the attendant an engagement ring, the princess asks her to arrange a meeting with Ush-Khatun. Ustinya thanks Ush-Khatun and promises to continue to behave humbly. Ush-Khatun orders to provide the princess with everything necessary and return her servant Matrena to her.

A Polovtsian Khan approaches the gate with captured prince Daniel. He demands to let them into the city, or he will kill Yaroslav's beloved son. However, Radmila orders to close all the gates and bring archers to the walls, sacrificing her son for the people. In retaliation, the Polovtsian Khan kills one of Yaroslav's brothers, Prince Theodore, who accompanied Daniel, and takes the prince away.

Berke Khan orders to transfer the daughter-in-law of Prince Yaroslav to a separate tent and to give her the due honors. The Great Khan learns that his beloved has gone on the mend thanks to the artist Nikolka. He orders to delay the dispatch of builders and decorators in Sarai-Berke and decides to look at the one who was able to please his wife.

Kehar-Khatun is executed, despite requests from Aizhan to spare him. Before being executed, Kehar asks the nuker in love with her to take revenge on Aizhan's Khanshe for her, and Nuker promises. Meanwhile, The Golden Horde is preparing for the Spring Festival. In the Stavka there is a traveling circus headed by Balaban-Pasha, who is also a runaway buffoon Grishka, who was once saved by Nikolka.

Prince Yaroslav returns to Vladimir with Nargiz, but the people disapprove. Yaroslav with horror learns that Daniel is a prisoner of the Polovtsy. He gathers a squad. Radmila is shocked and humiliated by the appearance of Nargiz. When she learns that Yaroslav ordered to separate her mansions to her mistress, she gives her husband a scene of jealousy.

On the way to the Polovtsian Khan's headquarters, Prince Yaroslav and his retinue are captured. His son Vladimir, because of whom the Russians got involved in this war, betrays his father and escapes with his squad. The horse of Yaroslav returns to the gates of Vladimir. Radmila and Nargiz are shocked, did their lover die?

Ogay tells Nastya to prepare for the campaign against Hulagu; he's taking her with him. Nastya cannot say no, she owes a lot to Nogai. Ivan pleads with her to flee with him, but all is useless. Before leaving, Nastya loses her servant Semyonych - he dies of the plague, which soon spreads to the entire Headquarters. A terrible epidemic begins in the Horde.

On the way to Sarai-Berke, the builders escape, cutting the throats of the accompanying Nukers. Nikolka refuses to run away - after all, his beloved one remained in the Headquarters. Ivan also can not run without Nastya. Arriving in Saray-Burke, they report that steppe nomads attacked carts with builders.

Berke tells Aizhan that her lover will die. Aizhan does not deny communication with Nikolka. Now in love, she's rid of her fear of death. Berke is in a frenzy; they will both die, but first she looks at the sufferings of her lover. Zeyneb recovers from the plague. She is being cared for by a huge black fire eater who immediately likes a lively and sweet girl.

During the visit of the Yaroslav Embassy to the Horde, Ustinya learns that Khan Berke was given a letter, in which Boris tells the truth about Mengu-Temir and his embassy to Russia. She persuades her lover to flee to Hulagu; the army stands at the borders. Berke's days are numbered, and Mengu, will become Hulagu's faithful ally. Yaroslav becomes ill, unknowingly due to a slow acting poison.

Ustinya silently looks at the fire in which Burke Khan's body blazes. Contrary to his precepts because of the plague, he was buried according to the custom of the pagans and placed next to the one he could not bear in life, his first wife, the old Togtagay. The great Khan of the Golden Horde Mengu-Temir takes her hand in his, she has won.