Russian geophysicist Mikhail Zaurov goes to the United States to unravel the mystery of the Paradox territory. On a plateau surrounded by an anomalous thunderstorm front, electronics fail, mechanical devices do not work, and people go crazy. Nearby, on the rocks of the canyon formed after the earthquake, researchers notice strange patterns, but for everyone they are different. Every day Mikhail is getting closer and closer to solving the riddle of the “Paradox”, but any rash action here can not only confuse all plans - it can become fatal. After all, the territory is not at all what many people think it is. The story was published in the magazine “Noon. XXI century" No. 5 in 2006. The story was rewritten by the author in 2013.