1830 Moscow University graduate Alexey Rytin receives an offer from the Society of Antiquities to go to the Holy Land. On the way, he is overtaken by an order to proceed to the estate of Prince Prozorovsky, where, during the draining of the swamps, some antiquities were discovered. Following the movements of his soul against the voice of reason, he finds himself drawn into the investigation of a terrible crime that lasts centuries - a story that mixed up an ancient myth, scientific competition, mound robbers, a secret society and a heartfelt passion for the prince's daughter. As a result of misadventures, he becomes the illegal owner of a mysterious artifact - a tablet. with ancient writings somehow connected with the legend of the last battle, affecting three parts of the world. Alexei has found himself in the center of someone’s ancient struggle, he realizes that his path and findings are not accidental; being a scientist, he rejects any mystical essence of events, but as a believer, he cannot help but feel that the events go beyond those explained by physical formulas. The plot develops against the backdrop of the “Eastern Question” and the historical realities of the period 1830-1835.