The letter should be taken to Moscow by Dasha, a recent acquaintance of Sergei, who is traveling to the capital on the affairs of Sister Arina. Worried about the fate of a friend, Sheremet flies to Kamnegorsk, where he is informed that Sergey is in prison. Investigators are hinting to Sheremet that it would be better for him not to meddle in this matter, but Sheremet is determined. Then Mezentsev and Lieutenant Colonel Kazarin, the head of the local police department, organize a "setup", having drunk Sheremet with cognac and sleeping pills. Sergei Bronnikov is on the ship, which carries him and other prisoners deep into the taiga. At the first opportunity, he escapes from the ship. The head of the security service Mezentseva Petrovich organizes the chase. Sheremet is detained and falsely charged with illegal gold trading. The investigators with whom he spoke earlier turned out to be bandits. And when the information comes that the taiga, a bear-eaten corpse with Bronnikov’s documents was found in the taiga, Sheremet is also accused of organizing the murder of his “accomplice” ...