On the pages of this book, the first Russian revolutionaries appear before the readers - the Decembrists, their "high aspirations," hopes for the awakening of society, doubts about the correctness of the chosen path. The novel tells about the uprising and the investigation in the case of the Decembrists. The author contrasts the heroes on December 14 with the "beast from the Abyss" - the Russian monarchy, with which they entered into an unequal, doomed to failure battle.