Hops. Tales of the People of the Taiga

The novel "Hops" is the first part of the famous trilogy "Tales of the People of the Taiga," which glorified the name of the Russian Soviet writer Alexei Cherkasov. The creation of the novel was preceded by an amazing story:... a mysterious letter received by Cherkasov in 1941, "written with the letter yat, with the fit, the izhitsa, in a direct, petrified handwriting," served as a reason for his acquaintance with the 136-year-old grandmother Yefimiya, who had personally seen Napoleon. Her stories became the basis for the plot of the first book of the "Tales."
In the depths of Siberia, there has settled an Old Believer community led by Elder Philaret, into which, by chance, the midshipman Loparev — an escaped convict and participant in the Decembrist uprising — finds himself. Harsh laws reign in the community, and life here is only suitable for the strong in spirit…
Years pass, generations change, and against the backdrop of the historical upheavals of the early 20th century, the descendants of the heroes of the first part of the novel live out their destinies. Having inherited family traits, many of them have lost the memory of their lineage...