It seemed that wars with alien minds in the past and the new program were setting up the awakening Sources for peaceful coexistence with humanity. Then why does the intelligent Swamp that has arisen around the Taganay Fragment bring death to people and change reality in the most terrible way? Why is Zlatoust, destroyed by the Zone, overrun by aggressive mutants, and the Changed terrorists started hunting for little Gleb, the son of the savior Artist? Why doesn't the government allow the use of dead weapons against an obviously hostile Zone? Two expeditions are sent to find answers, but with each step they take deeper into the Swamp, more questions are added. And when the Changed One comes into play, in whose veins by chance the blood of Sid-Spider himself turns out to be, everything becomes completely confusing.