The last story of G. I. Matveev "Tarantula" is the final, third book (after "Green Chains" and "Secret Battle") about the adventures of adolescents, participants in the heroic defense of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. The story "Tarantula" tells how Leningrad teenagers - Misha Alekseev and his friends - helped Soviet counterintelligence to catch a group of fascist agents operating in Leningrad during the war. The defenders of the city are shown - people of different professions - who courageously survived the great difficulties of the blockade - hunger, cold, bombing, shelling - and selflessly giving all their strength to the defense of their hometown and homeland.