Evgeny Rudashevsky's new book begins as a puzzle from an quest room, and then manages to become a chase novel, a detective story, a story about pioneers and traitors, a parable about curiosity as a great driving force. Just as the heroes cannot imagine that they will get so far, so do the readers - that the plot will take them to such distances. Ten people will set off on a long journey, each with their own goal: Sergei Nikolaevich - for a fascinating article, Marina Viktorovna - for a missing father, there are 14 of them year-old son Artyom is on his first real adventure, which his grandfather would definitely approve of. But what are they going with them for, what do Professor Tyurin and the Nagibin brothers, their stern father Fyodor Kuzmich, and even more so the silent giant Dzhambul and his daughter Solongo want? The human soul sometimes conceals no less mysteries than distant mountains, Artyom understands this immediately. He will have to figure out the rest for a long time. Viktor Kayumovich Korchagin has disappeared before: he will go on another expedition to places where the last time anyone climbed was a century ago—his family has been waiting for him for weeks or months. Now he has disappeared for more than a year; too much even by the standards of old Korchagin. His house is also full of strange clues: following such and such a trail you can find me, and not only me, but also something very valuable... “Gold!” - some will be happy. “Something more important than gold,” others will think.