In “Versailles,” a luxurious house on the bank of the Catherine Canal, a murder has taken place. At least that’s what the police believe. A respectable lady did not survive a séance. Her circle claims the woman was weak-hearted, and her death was simply a natural course of events. But this unpleasant incident becomes only the first link in a whole chain of mysterious happenings. The case is taken up by detective Rodion Vanzarov. He must find out what is really going on at meetings of the séance circle. That task would seem the simplest—if not for the interference of the wife of some influential man. The detective’s friend, forensic expert Apollon Lebedev, sides with reason, trying to expose scammers who are enthralled by pseudo-scientific dogmas. In Lebedev’s view, miraculous cures by hypnosis, biometers, and other nonsense only obstruct the development of true scientific thought. He helps Vanzarov unravel the intrigues whose ring seems to be tightening ever more. How can one find the murderer in the mystical tangle of events and the web of lies that has ensnared this crime?