A cold night in Moscow, government official Toulagef is murdered on the street by an unknown person who acted unintentionally. Immediately, the search for the murderer begins. In this panoramic depiction of the era, on the eve of World War II, investigations lead to many parts of the world, entangling a series of suspects whose only connection is their innocence - at least for the crime they are accused of - and the political expediency that dictates their prosecution.