The Magician

Character-driven crimedy story. The main characters of the series are the modern musketeers past their prime: crime kingpin from the 90s Garin, honest investigator Shavyrin, former police colonel Tarasov, and a famous writer Nezabudkin delusional about his detective skills. The story starts in a private medical center with Shavyrin diagnosed with a lethal disease. On weighing up all the pros and cons, he decides to end his life only to be interrupted by a doorbell. It’s his daughter Nastya who came from Moscow to Petersburg to start her career as an investigator. There, she makes an acquaintance with Nikita, a young officer from the Criminal investigations department. She doesn’t know, though, that her new friend is the son of the legendary colonel Tarasov, who’s doing his time in jail. Once he’s finally outside, Tarasov plans on killing Garin, who he deems guilty of his imprisonment. Nastya and Nikita learn about Tarasov’s plans and try to stop him while investigating other cases.

In St. Petersburg, an attempt is made on the well-known criminal authority, the owner of an underground casino network - Yuri Sergeev. A random passer-by unexpectedly intervenes in what is happening, who rebuffs the killer. The criminal is killed, and a passer-by, who turned out to be thirty-year-old Kirill Borzov, who recently arrived in the city from the provinces, receives an offer from Sergeyev to work in his security service. So Borzov gets into the world of excitement and vice. Every day, before the eyes of the main character, real dramas from the life of casino players and his servants are played out.

Based on real events. November 1943. The Nazis bring a new batch of Soviet orphans to Vyritsa, where a so-called "children's shelter" is set up in a former pioneer camp. The conditions here are unbearable: cold, hunger, forced labor, a punishment cell for disobedience, and execution for attempting to escape. But the worst thing is that children are used as blood donors for wounded Germans. Despite all the horror and inconceivability of what is happening, having united, the young heroes find the strength and courage to resist and decide to escape.

Lugansk region, May 2014. The Novozhilov family, by chance, finds itself in the thick of events in Lugansk. Vlad Novozhilov is a former participant in the war in Afghanistan. He knows firsthand what war is. Having seen enough of the horrors of war in his time, in principle he does not even want to touch a weapon. In a situation, he sees only one way out - to leave the country. But you can't run away from the war, the border is already closed. To save his family, he will have to make difficult moral choices.

Russian sociologist Maxim Shugaley and his translator colleague Samer Sueifan are still being held in a Libyan prison. For more than a year, they have been subjected to torture and psychological violence on a daily basis. While in custody, Maxim Shugaley encounters various people who turn out to be, sometimes unknowingly, sources of information about the situation in Tripoli. Listening to their stories, the sociologist literally collects valuable information bit by bit, which can be decisive for the entire world community.

Fall of 1941. Freshly graduated from school, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya volunteers for a partisan unit. During an assignment, her comrades are ambushed, and she is captured by the Nazis. She endures hours of grueling interrogations and horrendous torture, but defiantly refuses to divulge any information that would compromise other units’ partisan missions. She doesn’t even tell her captors her real name. Zoya’s sacrifice was not in vain; it ignited fire in the hearts of millions of people and became the symbol of selfless heroism during WWII. She is one of the most celebrated heroes of that time.

Vera has the perfect marriage. She's a caring housewife and excels at her primary task—pleasing and providing a comfortable life for her husband, Boris, a musician and conservatory teacher. Vera might have lived a somewhat dull and stable life if not for her younger sister, Nika, who unexpectedly and unceremoniously intruded on their family idyll. Vera isn't happy about the unexpected visit, and for good reason. She and her sister became strangers after Nika "stole" Vera's happiness, stealing her sister's fiancé, her first "school love." Now Nika has separated from her husband and is once again "actively searching." And, as several years ago, Nika's choice once again falls on Vera's chosen one. It seems history is repeating itself. But this time, Vera isn't giving up. She will try to reclaim her "stolen happiness."

Alena, a career-minded woman, goes to her hometown to visit her father. However, things take an interesting turn after she meets a carefree man and falls in love with him.