: A young African, the godson of Peter I, is returning from Paris to Russia and wants to strengthen his position in the Russian nobility by marrying his boyar daughter.
"Among the young people sent by Peter the Great to foreign lands for the acquisition of information ... was his godson, arap Ibrahim." Wounded in the Spanish War, he returned to Paris. The sovereign repeatedly called his favorite back to Russia, but he was in no hurry to leave. He was attached to Paris: a young African loved Countess D., who, already no longer in the “first color of her years, was still famous for her beauty.”
The French beauties paid a lot of attention to Ibrahim, who, however, disgusted him: “I felt that he was for them the kind of beast,” some miracle. But the countess accepted the arap without special ceremonies, which flattered him. Very soon, exhausted under the influence of passion, "she surrendered to the admired Ibrahim."
"A consequence of careless love was discovered." In the light they pledged who the countess would give birth to: a black or white child. Only one count was ignorant. When the countess gave birth, a black baby was sent to raise in the province and replaced with a white child.
Peter writes to the Duke of Orleans about Ibrahim. The sovereign "grants him goodwill to return to Russia or not," in any case he will continue to support the godson. "This letter moved Ibrahim to the bottom of his heart." Despite the severity of separation from Countess Leonora, he writes her a farewell letter and leaves France.
In the suburbs of St. Petersburg, Peter himself met an arap. Ibrahim admires the sovereign and his activities.
Young Ivan Korsakov returned from Paris to Petersburg and brought to the arap a letter from Countess D. It is filled with vows of love and understanding of the beloved's duty. “Ibrahim scanned this letter twenty times, enthusiastically kissing priceless lines.” Korsakov, however, said that the countess was initially upset, and then took a new lover. Ibrahim's heart was gripped by deep gloom.
African with Korsakov go to the palace. Ivan is struck by the beauty of St. Petersburg girls and the luxury of their outfits. He was waiting for the end of "deplorable music" and the beginning of the minuet. He invited a young lady to the dance, but because he did not give her three proper curtsies and chose her (“this right befits a lady in minuets”), “must drink the goblet of a large eagle”. Korsakov was instantly intoxicated. The girl invited Ibrahim to the dance.
The girl with whom the arap danced turned out to be the daughter of Gavrila Afanasevich Rzhevsky. He "was a native Russian master, as he put it, could not stand the German spirit and tried to preserve the customs of his gracious antiquity in his domestic life." His daughter Natalya, 17 years old, “was raised in the old way, that is, surrounded by mothers, nannies, ... sewed with gold and did not know the letter”. However, her father could not resist her desire to learn dancing in German.
It was a festive day. Gavrila Afanasevich gathered relatives and friends at the table, "men sat on one side, women on the other." At the end of the table sat the lordly lady, the thirty-year-old dwarf Swallow and the captive Swede-dancer. They also called Ekimovna, whom the barin called "a fool." The men at the table condemned the current morals, the spoiled girls who every month now order new dresses. “The wives forgot the word apostolic: wife let her husband be afraid».
“Who else drove into the courtyard gate? .. What are you yawning, cattle?” - Rzhevsky addressed the servants. It turned out that the sled was sovereign: Peter himself came to Gavrila Afanasevich to marry Natasha for Ibrahim. Rzhevsky agreed. When he talked about this sister to Tatyana and father-in-law Boris Lykov, Natasha stood outside the door. Hearing the consent of her father, she lost her senses and, falling, hurt her head on a forged chest. In delirium, he repeated the name of Valerian, an orphan, a streletsky son, who was brought up in the house of Rzhevsky. Two years as he retired to the regiment. Valerian's father once saved Gavrila Afanasevich.
“An unexpected matchmaking surprised Ibrahim,” but, after listening to Peter's arguments, he agreed: “The sovereign is right: I must ensure my future fate. The wedding with the young Rzhevskaya will join me to the proud Russian nobility, and I will cease to be an alien in my new homeland. "From my wife I will not demand love, I will be content with her fidelity ..."
Natasha recovered from the illness in two weeks. Ibrahim talked with Gavrila Afanasevich. He was still waiting for the opportunity to see the bride. Then Natasha remembered everything. Saddened, she called a dwarf to her. She persuaded the girl to submit to her father’s will: “Arap managed to bewitch everyone during your illness. The master is crazy about him ... It is a pity that he is arap, and it is a sin to wish us a better groom. ” "She submitted to her lot with a weak and sad soul."
In the house of Gavrila Afanasevich, in a tight closet, a captured Swede played the flute. At this time, "a young man of high stature, in uniform," entered him.
“You did not recognize me, Gustav Adamych,” said the visitor in a touched voice. “You don’t remember the boy you taught the Swedish article ...”
On this the story breaks off - the novel is not finished by the author.
