The main character ends up in a terrible life situation. His wife first got caught up in gambling, then, thanks to that obsession, ran into debt and, finally, died of an infarction after one particularly unlucky bet. After that, her debt was hung on him. He wanted to resolve the matter legally, through the courts—but they began to "press" him using unlawful methods. His appeals to the police led nowhere.
Then, not wanting to pay, he decided to deal with it radically: he managed to make himself new documents under someone else’s name and disappeared from the city to start a new life elsewhere. But as it turns out, his enemies had been watching him and intercepted him right during his escape, disguised as a tourist hike. To make matters worse, along with the main character, his former school friend tagged along on that hike—someone they just happened to meet. Now both of them face mortal danger…