Leningrad, 1930. The investigation is led by Vasily Zaitsev.
A young, handsome employee of LenUgrO Vasily Zaitsev has the most proletarian background. A former street kid raised in an orphanage, he believes that everything in his life is owed to Soviet power. Meanwhile, a wheel of terror is already turning full speed in the city— a new headquarters for OGPU-NKVD is being built, purges are everywhere.
At the same time, Leningrad is shaken by a series of terrifying masquerade murders—curiously dressed and groomed bodies are found in unusual, theatrical poses. The victims have nothing in common, and all the clues turn out to be fakes. But the investigation is hindered not only by the killer’s cunning mind, but also by the law-enforcement system itself. Who commits these terrible murders? Will an affable detective manage to solve the crime and punish the guilty?