Russian writers have been writing this unusual novel for almost a hundred and fifty years. But they never finished writing, because the main character strove to escape from the sharp writer's eye, changed color and, in the words of Saltykov-Shchedrin, silently crawled "from one period of history to another. "Today, having re-read the classics, we can recreate a completely unusual collective work that has come down to us in excerpts, sketches and short chapters. Zagoretsky, Molchalin, Shprich, Chichikov, Glumov, Opiskin, Balalaykin, Tarelkin, Ochumelov, Nevzorov, Gulyachkin, Podsekalnikov, Pobedonosikov, Momentalnikov... What unites these seemingly minor characters of great creations, are adapters and changelings of different times so invisible and safe? No, no and no! They are from one rotten root, this foul-smelling family spoiled the lives of many generations of decent people, and sometimes played a tragic role in their fate. Under the flag of well-intentioned and pleasing, reverence, reconciliation and spiritual betrayal, these chameleons not only seek and find themselves a warm place and a plate of cabbage soup, but also give rise to the evil of permissiveness and impunity. Sullen-Burcheev, Benefactor, Elder Brother appear there and then, where and when they meet kneeling silent performers, in whose eyes they read the eternal question "What will you deign?"