The protagonist of the story is a struggling actor named Leshya Vyzintsev, who one day discovers that his father died under mysterious circumstances. Leshya travels to Shironino, his father's birthplace, to sell the apartment. In the province, Leshya becomes involved in strange events. The locals are convinced that the books of a long-forgotten Soviet author named Gromov possess magical properties. And by fate's will, Vyzintsev embarks on a quest to find a unique magical book...