The history of life is a history of struggle, wars - of varying degrees of bloodiness, alliances - of varying degrees of strangeness, cunning strategies, intricate plots and unexpected endings. The result of the confrontation between mammals and dinosaurs was the appearance of us. Historian and literary critic Yuri Ugolnikov unfolds a fascinating story of the emergence and rivalry of living organisms on our planet. Secret enemies and unexpected friends. Disappearances and sudden returns. Cataclysms, extinctions and the birth of new life.