Documentary story. A few months before the outbreak of World War I, five young Petersburgers went to South America, intending to collect ethnographic and zoological collections for Russian museums. For a year and a half of wanderings in little-explored areas of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, they had to experience many difficulties and dangers, but in the end the brave enterprise was crowned with success and the most valuable scientific materials were delivered to Russia. Along the way, one of the travelers, G.G. Manizer, was able to rediscover the dramatic history of the first Russian expedition to South America, led by academician G.I. Langsdorf. The book is intended for a wide range of readers interested in the history of Russian science, travel and adventure.