In this book, Benedict Sarnov, continuing his "confession of the son of the century," talks about people whose meetings and closeness played an important role in his life, largely determined his fate. Among them are writers of the older generation: Ilya Erenburg, Viktor Shklovsky, Korney Chukovsky, Samuil Marshak, as well as peers and senior comrades of the author: Naum Korzhavin, Boris Birger, Bulat Okudzhava, Boris Balter, Alexander Galich, Arkady Belinkov. A special role was played in the life of the author by his acquaintance with A. Solzhenitsyn, the experience of communicating with whom was rather negative, but no less important for the formation of his personality. Other vivid figures representing the artistic life of Russia of the 20th century appear on the pages of this book: L. Yu. Brik, V. N. Pluchek, Alla Demidova, Igor Kvasha... The first book of B. Sarnov's memoirs ended in 1953, with the death of Stalin. In the second book, the author brings his narrative to the present day.