[1][2][3] The film tells the story of a detective who uncovers a sprawling criminal network involving illegal gemstone production and murder, leading to a high-stakes pursuit across Soviet cities as he battles corruption and fights to bring justice for his fallen comrades.
In Leningrad, a farmer named Kiknadze, visiting the city to buy a car, is found murdered from an overdose of a powerful sedative.
Soon after, in Moscow, a similar attack occurs, but the victim survives and escapes from the hospital, leaving behind a fake passport under the name Urushadze, bearing the photo of Nalbandov, head of the quality control department at the Prigor Jewelry Factory.
In Sukhumi, Georgia, a young actress is nearly assaulted, and the attacker flees, leaving behind gemstones with traces of the same sedative found on Kiknadze.
The police obtain an image of the suspect from a film crew’s footage, leading to the arrest of a graduate student, Kazhaev, for attempted assault.