When Alexei Beletsky brings John Hughes news of an impending pogrom planned by Misha, a captain in the Cossack regiment, he conceals more than he tells him.Engaged to a Jewess, Ruth, Alexei is aware that Captain Misha Razin has been motivated by more than the age-old hatred of the Cossacks for the Jews. Misha is in love with Alexeis cousin Sonya, but Sonya has already given her heart to a Jew, who dare not declare his love for a Christian because he cannot bear the prospect of being shunned by his people and his religion.John, Glyn, Richard, and Alexei enlist the assistance of the local orthodox priest, Father Grigor, and the commandant of the Cossacks. They devise a plan one which they hope will avoid a massacre. But can they dissuade Misha and save an entire community, or will blood run in the streets of the shtetl as it has done so many times before?