Petrograd, 1920. A wave of crime sweeps over the cradle of the revolution. Bandits, posing as Cheka officers, rob the people—this is called “self-initiative.” Vanka-Belka’s gang kept the whole city in fear for a long time.
In conditions where a human life is worth not even a penny, employees of the criminal investigation department try with all their might to hold back the onslaught of criminals. Bogdan Peretrusov, infiltrated into the criminal community of Peter’s city, investigates the mysterious murder of a leading agent of the secret police (UGRO). The death of the latter is closely connected with the robbery of the Hermitage and the mysterious artifact—the Triton, once belonging to John of Kronstadt himself.