Boris Akunin (Grigory Chkhartishvili), after 40 adventure works, finally wrote the first serious novel that readers and critics have long been waiting for. By genre, it is a "novel of ideas." The author worked on this novel for several years and, by his own admission, the political events that took place in Russia in late 2011 - early 2012 helped him to finish it. The novel takes place in Russia during the revolution and the Civil War. As in all other works of the author, a fascinating and exciting plot awaits you, but still, this time, spiritual searches for heroes, their reflections and the role of the intelligentsia in the fate of Russia, about revolution and love will come to the fore.