In May 2016, the ChZO is shaken by a powerful abnormal storm. A stalker nicknamed Ravlik, confident that he can "read" the Zone from mysterious noise phenomena, is among the survivors and witnesses global changes. Stalking and scientific activity, constrained by fear and misunderstanding, are gradually slowing down. Together with the feeling that once connected Ravlik with the anomalous territory, the hope of finding out the fate of his comrades who disappeared on the eve of the fateful day goes out. However, the unexpected outcome of one of the routine sorties, an offer from a researcher who dreams of getting into the center of the Zone, as well as the return of a piece of the past, present the stalker with an ambiguous choice. Leaving doubts beyond the threshold will be as difficult as realizing that the lost can no longer be returned.