On a wonderful evening, a young programmer, Alexander Privalov, returning from vacation, met two pleasant young people right in the middle of a dense forest. And, swept up by their charm, he ended up taking a job in one mysterious and prestigious research institute—one that doesn’t tolerate idlers and dreamers, where enthusiasm and optimism rule and a fairy tale becomes reality.
The novella by the Strugatsky brothers is rightly considered one of the high points of their work. Having stood the test of time, it’s filled with humor and kindness, and the story of everyday life in that fairy-tale institute will leave no reader indifferent.