Lieutenant Sharagin served in Afghanistan, served in the hope of staying alive, to survive for his young wife, for his children, for his parents, who went to bed with a prayer for him; he served willingly and unwillingly, he served because he loved his Motherland, firmly convinced that she, who sent him to war to fulfill his “international duty,” would never betray him. Alas, this belief died with him. But when? After returning home? Or much earlier, cut off by a bullet in a gorge as hot as a brazier? Read, listen to yourself. This is one of the most powerful works about Afghanistan. This is a truly Russian novel.