The seventh novel by A. Andreev, the main character of which, as always in the novels of this author, is a writer, humanitarian and intellectual. The external, event series is rich and at the same time “shrouded” in the subtle reflection of the hero. The motif of mirror reflection is universal: art imitates life, actions, thoughts, plot moves, destinies paradoxically overlap. The work is a kind of mirror in relation to all other novels by A. Andreev, in which the playful principle, organically connected with the erotic and intellectual, determines the spirit of the writer’s creativity.