This is a story about a family: The Vulchevs. Their story begins in one of the most significant periods in history, not only for Bulgaria, but for the Balkans and Europe as well.
The beginning of the century brings Bulgaria its independence – in 1908. Asen Vulchev and his wife Petruna had managed to raise four sons and a daughter. All five of them had chosen their life-path in unison to the big ideas in Europe at the time. In the beginning of the century the Balkans were known as “the powder keg of Europe”, a region that was notorious with conflicts and constant tension. This was the time of fast growing capitalism, the uprising of the communist parties across Europe, the vast spread of nationalistic ideas, including Bulgaria’s dream of unifying all territories inhabited by Bulgarians. A time where life choices can lead one to fortune and glory, or to an early grave. Friends became enemies in a matter of seconds back then, and treachery and deceive were common ways for one to succeed in life. But there was also courage, self-sacrifice and honor to be look up to. In short, the Vulchev family was living in an era where humanity’s best was walking side by side with humanity’s worst.
The beginning of the series is one of the proudest moments in Bulgarian history – the declaration of Independence, read by Knyaz Ferdinand Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The moment in which he became a Tzar of all Bulgarians, and the country was declared independent from the Ottoman Empire. The end of Season 2 is marked by the St Nedelya Church assault, one of the bloodiest terrorist attack in Europe in the XX century, in which a group of communist terrorists blew up the church’s roof during the funeral service killing more than 200 people and injuring around 500.