The novel by Ryazan prose writer Leonid Andreev tells about the extremely complex and harsh fate of four officers, childhood friends. Life presents them with challenges that seem impossible to overcome. And indeed, some cannot stand it and break down, going through the circles of hell, while others only grow stronger under their furious blows, acquiring the true value of love and being. Nevertheless, they all remain friends, constantly pulling each other out of the abyss of life - be it the battlefield, captivity or prison.