(Profiler Zoya Volgina is the best in her field: crime scenes literally come to life in front of 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. His "handwriting" is familiar to Zoya — many years ago she had already encountered a very similar person.)