The book of well-known scientist Andrey Levandovsky includes the sketches covering the two hundred year's period of the Russian history: from Ekaterina's II till Perestroyka. It is the book about a tragic way of Russia; about those who tried to change a disastrous vector of the country development: both statesmen (M. M. Speransky, P.A.Stolypin) and «masters of silent work» (T. N. Granovsky, S. N. Trubetskoy, A.N. Engelgardt). Their portraits — live and being remembered as the author is not only the researcher, but also the master of literary style.
One of the deep subjects uniting sketches in a whole — the power myth’s historical destiny, including its both revolutionary and Perestroika imitations. It makes the book turned not only into the past, but also into the future.