The plot takes place in the 9th century, on the territory of the Eastern Slavs - Ladoga.

The Slavs refuse to pay tribute to the Varangians and drive them across the sea. In the battle, the heir of the Ladoga knyaz Gostomysl dies. Heartbroken Gostomysl has a prophetic dream.

The Magi interpret the dream, speaking of Rurik, the grandson of Gostomysl from his daughter Umila, who lives on the coast of the Baltic Sea. He should be called upon to replace Gostomysl. By this time, Rurik had already become known to the entire Baltic coast as a Varangian warrior, avenging his murdered father and captured lands. Rurik willingly accepts the offer of the Slavs to lead their tribes in the hope of creating a strong army to return the selected ancestral lands in the Baltic. Next to Rurik is his friend Oleg, who is in love with Rurik's wife and is secretly involved in a political conspiracy by the Norwegian king.

Political intrigues, religious influences and tribal relations change Rurik's plans.

Rurik's son Igor becomes the Knyaz of Kyiv