Essays about working as a doctor in the provinces, written by Maxim Osipov between 2006 and 2017, brought him wide fame. Collected under one cover for the first time, they paint a vivid picture of the changes that have occurred in recent years with Russian society and with the author himself, looking at the “city of N.” from different sides, but always sympathetically and impartially. The peculiarity of the author’s position is also that he acts as a doer, and not just a reflective observer.