Heart of iron

After the success of the Decembrists' rebellion in Russia and the completion of the Trans-Siberian railroad, Sasha's hopes to have a decent debut ball are dashed by her aunt's feud with the emperor and Sasha is sent, instead, to study at the university, where she fears her opportunity is more an experiment to prove females unsuitable for higher education and finds herself caught in the middle of a war brewing between three empires.