On June 11, 1773, Diderot, at the age of 60, departed for Russia at the invitation of Catherine the Great. He spent two months in The Hague before setting off again at a forced march for Saint Petersburg in the company of Prince Naryshkin. He left again on March 4, 1774, accompanied by Bala, the Grand Chamberlain, arriving in Paris in October after another stay in The Hague. This was his first and only trip. He returned exhausted, but what an extraordinary encounter with the Empress! Three or four times a week, a private audience, much to the chagrin of the courtiers! They couldn't stand this poorly dressed, impertinent man, too familiar with the Empress, even going so far as to slap her thighs in his passion! With her, he engaged in conversation. We discover a man full of humor and verve, with encyclopedic knowledge! "His ideas on women, education, colonialism, serfdom, power and democracy are extraordinarily relevant today!"