Four key figures of Soviet history, people who determined the development of the country and played by other people's destinies. All of them weaved thin threads of political intrigue and fell victim to conspiracies themselves. A tyrant with millions of victims on his conscience. And his devoted comrade-in-arms Khrushchev, a participant in a night feast that ended with a stroke of the Master. The all-powerful head of the Soviet special services Lavrenty Beria, who paid his head for attempts at premature reforms. And Gorbachev, the first and last president of the Soviet Union, who realized much of his plans. Almost everything seems to be known about these people, and nevertheless there are no more mysterious figures in Russian history of the 20th century. The sensational investigation by Rafael Grugman presents all versions of Stalin's death, the nuances of world politics that can explain certain steps of the Soviet leaders, the Israeli question and much more. Sharply and without pleasing anyone, this book reveals to us the truth about those who created the history of our country.