A. Sobolev's novel, it would seem, is directed to the now distant past - the last months of the Great Patriotic War, the difficult post-war years. But, apparently, those who believe that time flies in a circle, as if history develops in a spiral, are not so mistaken. So the modern reader may be surprised to find that he has to solve the same social problems that the hero of the novel once faced - shell-shocked sergeant. They are just called differently.