L. N. Tolstoy repeatedly came to the Bashkir steppes and was deeply interested in Bashkiria. The book includes the works of the great Russian writer associated with Bashkiria, as well as such stories and short stories as "Blizzard," "Prisoner of the Caucasus," "Hadji Murad," "Polikushka" and others. A separate section was composed of letters from L. N. Tolstoy from the Bashkir steppes.