Much attention is paid to the main participants in the court conspiracies: the audience will get acquainted with the portraits and personal belongings of Prince A.D. Menshikov and the Dolgorukov princes; Count A.I. Osterman, Count S.A. Saltykov and Field Marshal B. von Minich, who supported the preservation of the autocratic system by Empress Anna Ioannona; the associates of Peter the Great’s daughter — Count P.I. Shuvalov, Count A.G. Razumovsky and the court physician Count I. Lestok; the closest companions of Empress Catherine II — Count N.I. Panin, Princess E.R. Dashkova and the brothers A.G. and G.G. Orlov. The final part of the exposition tells about the participants of the last palace coup in the history of the Russian Empire, which resulted in the assassination of Emperor Paul I: Baron L.L. Bennigsen and Count P.A. Palen, His Serene Highness P.A. Zubov, his brother Count V.A. Zubov and their sister O.A. Zherebtsova.

Of particular commemorative value are the items from the personal wardrobe of Emperor Paul I, which he wore the day before his tragic death. The Guards played an important role in the political struggles of the 18th century: visitors will see the uniforms, ammunition and weapons of the Guards regiments, including rare early examples, such as the ceremonial uniforms of the Leib Company, the Guards company that escorted Empress Elizaveta Petrovna to the throne, and the equipment of the soldiers and officers of Emperor Peter III’s Holstein troops.

Fourteen Russian museums, archives and libraries participated in the exhibition project. More than 250 unique exhibits and rare archival documents, including the authentic will of Empress Catherine I, violated by the Supreme Privy Council, and the famous "Condiсio" torn by Empress Anna Ioannovna, recalling the first failed attempt to limit autocracy in Russia, are displayed in two halls — the One-Pillar Chamber of the Patriarch’s Palace and the exhibition hall of the Assumption Belfry. Regalia — the crowns of Empresses Catherine I and Anna Ioannovna — and royal robes, including the coronation suit and guard uniform of Emperor Peter II and the uniform dress of Empress Catherine II, occupy a special place in the exhibition.

It was not until the end of the 18th century that Emperor Paul I succeeded in establishing a strict order of succession to the throne. The Act on the Succession to the Throne issued by him in 1797, which is also on show, established the principle of succession between members of the Imperial family in the male line by the right of primogeniture, that is from father to eldest son and his descendants. This law was observed in the Russian Empire for more than a hundred years, until the Revolution of 1917, but even it could not protect Paul I himself from the conspirators.

Some items are directly connected with the most colourful pages of the history of palace coups. For example, the exhibition includes a grenadier’s cap worn by Empress Elisabeth Petrovna on the anniversary of her accession to the throne, a colonel’s badge with a golden sword that belonged to her, and an officer’s uniform with St Andrew ribbon, in which Grand Princess Ekaterina Alexeyevna, the future Empress Catherine II, was attired on the day of the coup.