A doctor and writer Aleksandr Znamensky, collecting material for a book about the secrets of the “unmatched strength” of Russian heroes, unexpectedly finds himself taken hostage by a seasoned adventurer and criminal authority known by the nickname Truba (the Tube). Unwillingly, Znamensky is forced to take part in the search for the mythical “Rurik treasure.” And as a result, together with a popular TV reporter Vsevolod Luty, he uncovers the “fraud of the century” involving the supply of Russian mercenaries to international criminal groups.