Late 1990s. In one of the major Russian regional cities, a twisted criminal intrigue is unfolding, in the center of which is the most honest investigator of the prosecutor's office Pavel Pafnutyev, forced by the nature of his service to face not only influential criminal elements of the city, but also with the entire official city leadership. To defeat powerful organized crime, "protected" by high-ranking city officials and heads of law enforcement agencies, the investigator, almost alone, has to show extraordinary courage, cunning and ingenuity, often resorting to non-standard methods of investigation.