This book is the first part of the autobiographical trilogy of L. A. Charskaya, a writer who enjoyed wide fame at the beginning of the twentieth century. The revival of interest in Charskaya’s work in recent years is largely due to her ability to combine a dynamic, sometimes even adventurous plot with the inner psychologism of her characters. Describing the experiences of a girl sent to the Pavlovsk Institute in St. Petersburg, Charskaya immerses the reader in the atmosphere of a closed women's educational institution, without hiding the dark, sometimes tragic sides of their life.