In the spring of 1884, dark, heavy ice left the Neva late. The dank, damp wind began to wash ugly, swollen corpses to the shores and shallows. This time there were just a monstrously large number of them. However, the St. Petersburg police quickly and without a shadow of a doubt found the reasons: either drowning due to negligence, or in an alcoholic state, or in unconsciousness. Accidents, what can you do about it...Vice Director of the Police Department Pavel Afanasyevich Blagovo does not agree with the official point of view. Together with Alexei Lykov, he is seeking permission to re-open the body of a certain innkeeper Ostashkov, who allegedly fell into the river while drunk. The results of the analysis of water in the lungs of the deceased stun Blagovo... The book consists of five short stories that take the reader back to the times of young Lykov and the still living Blagovo.