1948, Kazan. In his own apartment, the head of the supply department of the bread-processing trust, Frunzilk Kazaryan, is shot dead. As the killer leaves, he takes the jewels—his host’s wealth—which, judging by appearances, was obtained dishonestly.
A neighbor insists that on the day of the murder he saw Kazaryan coming out of the entrance. But when he climbed to the floor, he found the door unlocked and Kazaryan himself already dead. Major of the Militia Vitaliy Shchelkunov comes to the conclusion that the murderer managed to capitalize on the astonishing resemblance to the victim. Or perhaps he even recreated him skillfully? Soon, this assumption receives an unexpected and frightening confirmation…