In quiet 19th-century Cherepovets, known for its law-abidingness, beneath the surface there is a gang of criminals led by a woman—and corrupt law enforcement. Young investigator Ivan Chernavsky, with no experience and no professional training, must solve the case. Where crimes usually boil down to fights and petty thefts, an authentic gang is unexpectedly discovered. Ivan Chernavsky has to reveal the crime by identifying the body found on the road—without any evidence and without the possibility of using modern methods such as DNA tests. His main helpers are observation and ingenuity.