1908. In the “Switzerland” hotel, which decorates a country village called Green Meadow, an original auction is being prepared. On the line is “vin de la comete”—a precious bottle of wine from the 1811 vintage. The auction organizer expects an enormous profit. But what he doesn’t expect is the murder of the winner and the disappearance of the main prize. The culprit is clever and treacherous. Yet one flaw exists in his plan. At the celebratory dinner, there is an aesthete, a pedant, a skeptic, and a decent bore—Doctor Falk—who planned to simply enjoy a luxurious meal in pleasant company. And as Vasily Ottovich is known to extremely dislike people who disrupt his plans…