A manuscript — memoirs of an unknown person who lived in Vologda province in 1916 was found in an antique store in Vienna. Almost against his will, the author of the notes finds himself involved in a series of disturbing and mysterious events of the revolutionary era. What will be the choice of the heroine: blindness or vigilance, unselfishness or mastery, help or harm? However, the intricacies of the plot do not obscure other aspects of the novel, which treat eternal and at the same time burning topics in a new way: the fragility of existence, the tragedy of history, guilt and responsibility, the dignity of the individual and the unpredictability of fate.

Alexander Sobolev is a philologist, connoisseur and researcher of the poetry of the Silver Age. The author's first novel, "Griffins Guard the Lyre" (2021), which was met with interest by critics and readers, was included in the short list of the Andrei Bely Award.