A philosophical parable about the meaning of life... Graduates of the Literary Institute meet in a restaurant. As a result of the explosion, the building collapses, and people find themselves walled up in the basement. In a confined space, the heroes rethink their lives, with which everyone is not satisfied. Eventually, they find an ancient underground labyrinth. However, forced hermits are looking for a way out not only from underground confinement, but also from the dead end of their lives, and promise themselves, if rescued, to start living in a new way. As a result, they find a life-saving exit to the surface. But is there a way out for them in life? After all, everyone is a hostage to their own fate... (Excerpt published in the magazine “Prague Graphomaniac”, Prague, 2008)novel