The book of the professional diplomat and historian O. F. Solovyov captivatingly talks about the development of the Masonic phenomenon in Russia of the 18th - early 21st centuries, the involvement of its adherents, the children of the Widow, in the most important historical events. Before us are the faces of tsars and nobles, commanders and diplomats, writers and artists, revolutionaries, liberals and conservatives - from members of the Romanov dynasty to Lenin, Trotsky, Soviet general secretaries and current democrats. The unique materials of the Special Archive of the KGB and foreign archives, previously prohibited for printing, are given. Much is covered for the first time.