Anatoly Zhuravin

In 1948, a young director, Viktor Kostrov, is arrested after being denounced by his lover’s father. Beria’s inquisition, the horrors of camp life, and the vengeance of criminals form the grim backdrop for the story’s characters: a sadistic warden, a camp boss, Viktor’s terrified fiancée, and her father, an NKVD officer. Based on the autobiographical story by Gennady Beglov.

In the center of the plot is a senior investigator named Masha Shvetsova and her male colleagues. The plot is the most vital, but, like in “Streets of Broken Lanterns,” it is seasoned with a fair amount of humor - otherwise, how can the audience (and the heroes) endure countless morgues, identifications and other “cute” charms of the investigative routine?