Miltos's letter finds Iphigenia worried about the future of their relationship. The distance between them has been uncertain. Her response, however, is arriving late in Paris. Basil Sakharov has already assigned Miltos a mission to Russia and will not be in France when the letter of Iphigenia arrives. In Saint Petersburg, the charming and intelligent Miltos is likable to the Minister in charge of the ammunition and to his young beautiful daughter, who is besieging him. In the temptation to succumb, Miltos has to consider, apart from his career, the fortunes of the two families - both his own and that of Iphigenia - who continue to wait for him back home, with political tension and conflict to scale.
