After a successful operation to expose Nazi criminals entrenched in Argentina, Stirlitz returns to Moscow. However, back home he faces not awards, but new trials—blackmail, intrigue, and hatred are what he encounters in the corridors of the Kremlin. In this exhausting game with death, it is not easy to tell friends from enemies, and only a real intelligence officer’s composure and professionalism help Stirlitz break free from the deadly nets of the special services.