Moscow 1953 - in the workers' paradise of the Stalin era, there must officially be no crimes, and yet: millions live in fear ... and arbitrary death never seems far away. A celebrated war hero who firmly believes in communist ideals and the future of his country, intelligence officer Leo Demidov was able to build a career for himself and secure modest prosperity for his family. But when the gruesomely mutilated body of the young son of a fellow officer is found and the apparent murder of Major General Kuzmin is declared an accident, Leo's whole world begins to falter. When another murder of a child occurs and Leo starts his own investigations against the orders of his superiors, he quickly finds himself degraded to provincial exile and suddenly finds himself in mortal danger with his family... The only way out he has left is to uncover the series of murders as quickly as possible against all resistance from the authorities and despite the reluctant mistrust of militia leader Nesterov. But soon Leo unexpectedly finds himself on a journey into his own dark past during the hunt for the killer: While the intrigues of his ambitious rival Vasily tighten around his neck like a noose, the search for the truth threatens to alienate him further and further from his wife and only ally Raisa. Who can Leo trust now?