September 1877. In the thick of the Russo-Turkish war, Marmeladova is summoned to serve the Motherland. It is necessary, in a short time, to capture the White Bear—a general who sells military secrets of the Ottoman Empire. But the detective has no interest in hunting a traitor. What fascinates him is a different kind of mystery: a young officer gave a café-concert singer five thousand rubles, and a day later disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Could this be the work of enemy agents here too? In addition, the main character will have to plunge headfirst into family matters and permanently dispel the shadows of the past that follow him like a trail.