During the Time of Troubles, the merchant Thomas Grudtsyn-Usov lived in Veliky Ustyug. Having suffered many troubles from the invasion of the Poles, he moved to Kazan - the Poles had not yet reached there. He lived in Kazan with his wife until Mikhail Fedorovich reigned. And he had a twelve-year-old son, Savva.

Thomas traveled sometimes to Sol Kama, sometimes to Astrakhan, and sometimes to the Shakhov region. And he taught his son the merchant business. Once Thomas went to the Shakhov region, and Sava sent to trade in Sol Kama.

Having reached the city of Orel, Savva stayed at a hotel. In this city, he met a father's friend named Bazhen II, who invited Savva to live in his house. The young man agreed. Bazhen was the third marriage married to a young woman. Bazhen's wife persuaded Savva to adultery, and for a long time they lived in sin.

Ascension Day has arrived. On the eve of the holiday, Bazhen and Savva visited the church. Late in the evening, when Bazhen fell asleep, his wife came to Savva and incited the young man to fornication. He was afraid to create sin on such a great holiday. Then the woman became angry and decided to water the young man with a magic potion.

In the morning, Bazhen and Savva went to church, while an evil woman made a potion in the meantime. After the service, Bazhen and Savva went to visit the governor. Then they came home, and Bazhen's wife gave the young man a magical drink. Sawa immediately began to languish over her. And the woman after that began to slander the young man and ordered to expel him from the house. Bazhen, although he felt sorry for Savva, did not contradict his wife. The young man left with great sorrow.

Savva returned to the hotel. He was emaciated from loving longing, his beauty began to fade. The guest and his wife, seeing this, were perplexed. They secretly called the wise man and asked him about the young man. The sorcerer, having looked at the magic books, told the story of Bazhen's wife, but the hotel and his wife did not believe it.

Once Savva went out for a walk out of town in a field. He thought that he would even serve the devil if he helped him to return Bazhen’s wife. Behind Savva, he heard his voice calling. Turning around, he saw a young man. The young man came up and told what also comes from the Grudtsyns. He called Savva a brother. Savva told his new brother about his misfortune. The young man promised to help if Savva writes some manuscript. Savva, without thinking, wrote everything under dictation and did not even understand the meaning of what he wrote. In fact, this young man was not a man, but a demon. And the manuscript was a denial of God.

The young man advised Savva to go immediately to Bazhen. He obeyed. Bazhen and his wife joyfully greeted Savva. And again he began to live in sin with Bazhen's wife.

Savva's mother heard rumors about her son’s bad life. She wrote to Savva to return to Kazan. But the son did not obey.

The demon, meeting with Savva again, this time told what comes from the royal family. He showed Savva a beautiful city from the mountain and named it the city of his father. The demon called for Savva to go to bow to his king-king. Friends entered the royal chambers. The prince of darkness sat on the throne, young men with crimson and black faces stood around him. Savva went to the ruler, promised to serve him and gave the king his manuscript. Then Savva and the demon, having had a meal, left the city. The demon promised to help the young man in everything.

At this time, Thomas Grudtsyn returned to Kazan. The wife told him that Savva did not want to return home and did not answer letters. The father wrote another letter to his son, but, having received no answer, he decided to go to Orel for his son.

And the demon, learning that Thomas Grudtsyn was heading to Orel, persuaded Savva to go for a walk in different cities. The young man agreed and went with him, without even warning Bazhen and his wife.

One night, the demon and Savva crossed a huge distance - they appeared in the city of Kuzmodemyansky, and the next day - on the Oka River, in the village of Pavlov Perevoz. There, walking at the bargain, Savva saw a poor old man who looked at him and cried. The young man came up and asked about the cause of the tears. The elder said that he was crying about Sawa himself, who was obedient in everything to the devil. When the young man returned to his demon friend, he selected him for a conversation with the old man. Then the "brothers" went to the city of Shuya.

And Thomas Grudtsyn arrived in Orel and found out about the disappearance of his son. No one could tell where Savva went. Thomas waited a long time for his return, and then returned home. After some time, he died in sorrow, and Savva's mother remained a widow.

At this time, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich was recruiting soldiers for the war with the Polish king. Savva enlisted as a soldier, and the demon was his squire. The recruits were brought to Moscow and given over to the German colonel, who immediately saw that Savva was skilled in military science. The colonel fell in love with Savva and placed him at the head of three companies of recruits. Thanks to the help of the demon, Savva's subordinates were always provided and satisfied with everything. Even the tsar was aware of the success of Grudtsyn.

The brother-in-law of the tsar, the boyar Streshnev, found out about Savva and wanted to bring him into his house, but he, on the advice of the demon, refused.

The regiments were already ready for a campaign near Smolensk. Savva lived in the house of the centurion Jacob Shilov. The demon one night brought Savva to Smolensk. For three days they watched the defensive work of the Poles and were invisible. On the fourth day they became visible, and the Poles tried to catch them, but could not: Savva and the demon crossed the Dnieper, as if by land. Then they again found themselves in Moscow.

When the regiments moved to Smolensk, the demon on the way advised Savva to go on fights against those powerful warriors whom the Poles would expel from the city.

For three consecutive days, the regiments sent the warriors out of the city. Savva defeated all three. But his courage aroused hatred among the boyar Shein, who commanded the regiments. Boyarin ordered the daredevil to return home. Savva and the demon again went to Moscow. The young man again stopped at Yakov Shilov. The demon came to him during the day, and stayed in hellish dwellings at night.

Savva became seriously ill. Jacob Shilov's wife persuaded him to confess and take communion. I called a priest from the church of St. Nicholas in Rooks. During the confession, the patient saw a crowd of demons around him. He said this to the priest, but he did not see anyone.

After confession, the unclean spirit began to torment Savva greatly. Yakov Shilov and his wife brought to the attention of the tsar the news of Savva's disease. The king ordered to set up guards to ensure that the youth did not commit suicide.

On the first day of July, the patient saw the Virgin in a dream. She promised to save the young man from the disease, if he takes monastic vows. Savva agreed, and the Virgin ordered him to come to the temple for the feast of the Kazan Icon. The young man told about a vision to the soldiers who guarded him, as well as the centurion and his wife. Yakov Shilov brought the message to the tsar himself.

When the feast of the Kazan Icon arrived, the king ordered to bring the sick Savva to the church. He was laid near the temple on the carpet. During the service, a voice came from heaven: "... Be healthy, and do not sin!" And the apostate letter once written by Savva fell on top. But all the words were erased from him. The young man got up from the carpet, entered the church and prayed in front of the icon of the Virgin. Then he told his story to the king.

Returning to the house of Jacob Shilov, Savva distributed his property to the poor and became a monk in the Miracle Monastery, where he lived for many years and died.