The main character of the novel, Andrei Koptilin, a talented chemist serving a ten-year sentence for the murder of his wife, is unexpectedly summoned for a conversation by the “godfather” - this is how the prisoners of the camp commander are called - and invites him to literally gain freedom one of these days, and for this he will need only one thing - his consent. The situation was explained by a certain Zhora Morklyak - a banker at large, and one of the main authorities in the zone... He makes Andrey an offer that he cannot refuse, but if he fails, the hero will get a new sentence - life imprisonment...