Summer 1900. In neighboring China, the Yihetuan uprising, better known as the “Boxer” rebellion, breaks out. Their troops begin to disturb the Far Eastern borders of the Russian Empire. Advisor Oleg Vladimirovich Bely, sent from St. Petersburg with an inspection, arrives in the border town of Blagoveshchensk-on-Amur. The official introduces himself to the regional leadership as an inspector from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, the real reason for the appearance of an adviser - more precisely, an employee of the Russian General Staff - on the “outskirts of the Russian Empire” is the leak of secret information to Japan about the state of military units in Blagoveshchensk and the region. Having only a few days left, Bely is forced to not only search for an “informant”, but also provide all possible assistance to the local authorities in connection with the obvious threat of an attack on the city by armed Chinese formations...