Having lost everything in the Civil War, White Guard officer Sergey Neratov arrives in a city of lawlessness—occupied Constantinople. The paths of all kinds of exiles cross here: from baronesses and leading lights of science to cynical businessmen and traitors. Hope and despair, honor and self-interest, love and enmity collide here. After witnessing the arbitrariness of the authorities and the dire plight of his compatriots, Neratov takes justice into his own hands and becomes the leader of an underground group.