A novel about time and place. A story of provincial life. A tale of a GP U (state security) employee who is fascinated by a student, a schoolboy who believes in miracles, and a flawless hero. About a shop assistant from a ruined temple, two philologists at a crossroads, a teacher and an entrepreneur at the center of the storm—and also about three weavers at their places. All of them are linked by events from 1942, 1985, 1996, and 2014. In a word, “Matryoshka.”