Summer, St. Petersburg of the XXI century. Student Rodion Raskolnikov is exhausted by lack of money, unemployment and thoughts about the meaninglessness of his existence. But the idea is maturing in his mind that some people have the "right" to do the most vile things if they make great discoveries and move the world forward. To test the theory on himself, he kills an old woman-a micro-lender. Investigator Porfiry Petrovich is on the trail of Raskolnikov, who wants to get a sincere confession from him.
Nikolai Videnin is a failed film director who is forced to work in a regular video store in Leningrad. One day, Nikolai accidentally turns on an "adult film" for schoolchildren, for which he first goes to court, and then to a colony settlement. There he gets the nickname Vidik and now, instead of pressing the "Play" button on the VCR, the guy has to cut down the forest from morning to evening.
Profiler Zoya Volgina is the best in the business: crime scenes literally come to life before her eyes. It is Zoya and a special employee of the Investigative Committee, Timofey Volokh, who are involved in a new investigation: in St. Petersburg, an unknown strangler embalms the bodies of his victims, turning them into statues. Zoya is familiar with his “handwriting” - many years ago she already encountered a very similar person.