In fact, Danilov is secretly a half-demon with fantastic abilities such as flight, shapeshifting, and a supernatural sensitivity to the feelings and desires of humans.

He was given instructions to cause mischief and misfortune for humans on Earth, and to never speak to his demon father, who was arrested for committing crimes such as being a Voltairian.

His ex-wife, Klavdiya Petrovna, forces him to get involved with a cult-like organization; he replaces a violinist who has suffered a mysterious death, agrees to perform a symphony written by a no-name composer, and falls in love with a young woman named Natasha, much to the chagrin of his demon girlfriend, Anastasia.

In the duel, Karmadon causes a black hole to open up in his opponent, and only the intervention of Anastasia saves Danilov from certain death.

The trial finally begins and the demons try Danilov for varying small crimes(such as helping old ladies to cross the street).

The "little man" is a stock character in Russian literature who is resigned to life under an unfair system that quashes him, and must in his plight either assimilate to his society or succumb to death and insanity.

[12] Galina Shovkoplyas writes that Orlov uses mythologems and references to earlier literature — such as Lermontov's Demon and the Indo-European bull motif — to create a semi-political satire.

[9] Deming Brown writes that while the novel does not achieve great intellectual depth, it effectively creates a phantasmagoric and entertaining fantasy, and would go on to influence Soviet literature of the 1980s.

[13] In contrast, Yelena Kovtun writes that the novel should not be considered a shallow parody of better work, but understood as a serious psychological study of how the protagonist finds his humanity, identity, and personal freedom.

The 1987 edition of Publishers Weekly wrote "Ironic and often funny, superbly translated, this first novel by a Russian writer living in Moscow is, disappointingly, so diffuse that it fails to grab hold and insist upon being read.

"[15] Terry Skeats of Library Journal wrote "Orlov has written a generally engaging first novel that satirizes human behavior, individual and bureaucratic.

[18] An opera based on Danilov, the Violist was written by the composer Alexander Tchaikovsky [ru] in the early 2010s, with the involvement of Yuri Bashmet.