Detective and paranormal expert Anton Kozlovsky is drawn into a war between two small but very proud nations living in the depressive Neftekumsk, dying after a nuclear power plant disaster. The reason for the new bloody skirmish was the love between a girl and a guy, representatives of the warring mountain peoples: the Besamais and the Digais. The girl, and then her lover, mysteriously disappear. At the same time, a photo of a terrible creature near the lake, sent via instant messengers, caused horror and depressing murmur among local residents. The legends about the awakened dragon Sarmak, an ancient curse prepared for them by the supreme deity himself, began to sparkle on everyone’s lips with new colors if two nationalities, having crossed the ancient taboo, begin to mix with each other. Kozlovsky is skeptical, because the creature in the photograph very much resembles a catfish...