A. Bek’s main novel—a work from the Perestroika era—about the leaders of the Soviet metallurgy industry. The action takes place in the 1930s. One of the working titles of the novel was “Stalin’s Soldier.” Written in 1964, it was first published abroad in 1971. One of the Soviet editors said about this work: “The essence of the novel is that everyone who worked with Stalin and believed in him is historically doomed… And, on the contrary, those who were farther from the leader or who doubted him inwardly contain the future of the country.”