During the difficult times of the collapse of the USSR, geological organizations were among the first to become unnecessary and began to close. Two geologists and one mechanic from a previously successful party find a place in a prospecting artel, extracting ore containing gold. With the hope that the state needs gold under any circumstances, and the artel, this example of market relations new to all, will never be closed down. However, the reality is different: there are great difficulties ahead in the work of the artel, and there is already an organized group involved in the theft of gold. And there is even a person who died in an accident. Our heroes begin to understand the situation and quickly come to a real understanding of the events taking place. They are convinced that it was not an accident, but a murder, and more than one. And they understand that the artel will come to an end soon and ahead of schedule. And how he came, along with another corpse, how all the workers were left without the money they earned, what our heroes had to do next to compensate for the losses, and what adventures they had - you will read in the book.