Vera Berezhnaya takes a vacation and temporarily leaves her detective agency to meet her father, whom she has not spoken to in a long time. But her plans change after a chance encounter with Boris Borisovich Sofyin, the head of a touring theater. He invites Vera to join the troupe on a steamship journey. In her very first hours aboard, Vera notices that tension is running high among the actors and directors. Open quarrels prove to be only the tip of the iceberg—behind them lie old grudges, rivalry, and dangerous secrets. Soon, Vera learns of a mysterious death that once shook the troupe, and then another crime occurs. A killer appears on the steamship, and Vera finds herself unwillingly drawn into an investigation in which there are more suspects than meet the eye.
