“Russians at war never abandon their own!” — a tall young drak named Ar'rakhh of the Lame Turtle tribe does not yet know what war is, who the Russians are, or why they never abandon their own. But he knows something else — these words were spoken by his friend, a fair-skinned outsider named Sash'sha, a chel'vek with a bright mind and a fearless heart. A former gladiator who will never abandon someone in trouble and will never let you down in a difficult moment. And so these words can be believed.
And former artillery scout Alexander Zarechnev believes that one must remain faithful to one's once-chosen principles in any situation, on any planet. And also that the collected artifacts must be delivered to the Temple of the Mind of the Gods, lost somewhere in the boundless ice of the Dragon's Head.
And then he will be able to return home.