At the request of the widow of the writer and playwright Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Pandorin opens an investigation into a series of mysterious murders taking place in the innovative and fashionable theater "Noah's Ark", and is forced to find his way in a world completely foreign to him - the world of stage art, and the innermost souls of the actors who inhabit it. During the investigation, he will demonstrate his detective skills as usual, fight, meet old friends, find new love and even become an original and successful playwright.