The novel is divided into two parts. The main part tells the tragic story of a hero from the Russian hinterland. Stepan Grachev served a year and a half in prison, but is trying to start living again. A meeting with a former neighbor again turns the protagonist's life upside down. The prehistoric part of the novel presents episodes from the life of a small tribe of primitive people. The narratives are connected by the common themes raised: loneliness, the dream of a mythical, happy land - Blue Mountain. How did the concepts of basic moral principles emerge at the dawn of humanity? Has much changed since then? Contains obscene language.