An extraordinarily rich deposit of ores has been discovered on Venus — ores that are extracted on Earth only with great difficulty and enormous expense. This deposit was given the name "Uranium Golconda." Attempts to land research probes on Venus yielded nothing. After some time, signals would cease to reach the stations. Attempts to land on the planet using old-type rockets ended in the deaths of the pilots.
To storm Venus, Soviet engineers create a new type of interplanetary ship — the photon rocket "Khius." The task of scouting the mysterious "Uranium Golconda" and establishing the first rocket landing site on its shores is entrusted to a hand-picked crew of six daring interplanetary explorers.