The name of Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich - artist, public figure, traveler, connoisseur of Eastern culture - is known to everyone. However, in the life of every person, and above all in the life of extraordinary people, there is always something deeply hidden, known only to a narrow circle of initiates. There was such a “hidden layer” in the life of Roerich. Igor Minutko tries, using documentary sources, to penetrate “behind the scenes” of this eventful and emotional life of a man who undoubtedly left a bright mark on the history of Russian and world culture. Communication with the Soviet intelligence services and the search for the legendary Shambhala are the two main themes of this fate.