Many of us have watched movies about how a simple girl from the province comes to a big city, gradually achieves her dreams, and meets her one true prince. Such a plot does not always seem realistic; sometimes it even appears contrived. However, life often proves to be the best playwright.

A similar story occurred in the mid-18th century with a young peasant girl, Praskovya Kovalyova. Her life went through poverty, a rise to fame across Russia, and a bitter death after marriage. It all began with a small serf theater owned by Count Pyotr Sheremetev.

At that time, there were many serf theaters in Russia, one of which was located in the Kuskovo estate. The young and ambitious Nikolai Sheremetev found the theater outdated and decided to revamp it. He held auditions among talented serfs and worked on their image. After changing their surnames, they appeared on stage not as Ivanovs and Sidorovs, but as Izumrudovs and Yakhontovs.

One day, the young daughter of the local blacksmith, Praskovya Kovalyova, came to audition. Her angelic voice captivated everyone, and soon she was talked about all over the Moscow region. Sheremetev decided to make her the prima of his troupe and changed her surname to Zhemchugova.

By 1790, Sheremetev's serf theater had become the best in Russia, and Praskovya Zhemchugova was the best actress. Even Catherine the Great came to see her performance. It is no surprise that Praskovya became Sheremetev's favorite.

Such stories were not uncommon, but here everything took a different turn: Count Sheremetev announced his intention to marry Praskovya. This was incredible: one of the most eligible bachelors in Russia, a descendant of a great lineage, decided to tie his fate to the daughter of a serf blacksmith.

In 1788, the old Count Sheremetev died, and Nikolai, deeply mourning the loss, fell into depression and took to drinking. Praskovya was able to support him and bring him out of this state. Later, he granted her freedom, and they were married. However, just two years after that, Praskovya passed away.