The Total Democratic Republic in which Andrei Belkin lived seemed to him a model of justice. In fact, each of its citizens took a place in society in strict accordance with their intellectual status, determined by an impartial computer. However, the moment came when Andrei realized that everything around him was much more complicated and the fate of a person was being played by invisible puppeteers. All that remains is to either agree and become a bargaining chip on the chessboard of life, or, risking this very life, try to stop the game.