The events in this cool spy detective unfold in Eastern and Western Europe, in the USA, and on the territory of the USSR—in an alternative history. In this story, Gorbachev failed to break up the USSR because the enemies of perestroika shot him in time. That’s why the CIA, together with British intelligence, set up a dangerous multi-move combination to neutralize Soviet influence in the countries of Eastern Europe. This time, the center of intrigue is a super-agent known by the nickname Arlekin.