Summer of 1900. In neighboring China, an uprising of the Yihetuan—better known as the “Boxers”—breaks out. Their detachments begin to trouble the Far Eastern borders of the Russian Empire. A special advisor Oleg Vladimirovich Bely is sent from St. Petersburg to the border town of Blagoveshchensk-on-Amur with an inspection.
The official presents himself to the leadership of the region as an inspector from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, the true reason for the advisor’s appearance—more precisely, a staff officer from the Russian General Staff—is a leak of secret information to Japan about the condition of the military units in Blagoveshchensk and the region. With only a few days at his disposal, Bely is forced to do more than just search for the “informant”—he must also provide whatever help he can to the local authorities due to the obvious threat of an attack on the city by armed Chinese formations…