Boris Petelin

Archaeologists have found on the island of Eagle remnants of slave shackles. On the expedition, rumors of an old legend spread about the figure of Achilles, who sometimes appeared on the local rock, and who was helping the sailors to find a safe fairway in bad weather. The expedition after a long search finds nothing and moves out, but the leader decides to stay. And after a while, he discovers a mysterious state created by runaway slaves...

The action takes place in Odesa in 1918-1919. At the request of General Denikin, a French squadron arrives in Odesa to restore order in the city. Odesa Bolsheviks are trying to convince the sailors to leave the city. At the center of the story is the heroic fate of Frenchwoman Jeanne-Marie Lyabourb (1877-1919), shot by French interventionists.