What do the head of a secret file cabinet, students who don’t shy away from a glass, a police lieutenant colonel, and a prisoner’s wife have in common? All these people turn out to be the heroes of one story, which began with two friends who decided to earn extra money. In pursuit of a long ruble, they come to the Volkovo cemetery in St. Petersburg. As it turned out, this detective story began in the distant past, when we were all part of the same System, sacredly looking after its own interests and not leaving alone any of those who once touched the terrible secret. The lazy students don’t even suspect that they are already on the verge of death...

A film based on the biography of the famous Russian balalaika player Vasili Vasilevich Andreev (1867-1918), a self-taught virtuoso musician, who brought balalaika to the concert stage.