Judge Andrey Nesterov has earned a reputation as an impeccable servant of Themis—a principled, incorruptible man who firmly believes in the triumph of the law. Over the years working in the judicial system, he has established himself as a professional of rare insight. On his 55th birthday, Nesterov welcomes those closest to him—relatives, friends and family, and colleagues—into his family home. A festive mood reigns in the house, but then his daughter Anya suddenly and inexplicably disappears. Time is the decisive factor in missing-person cases: the first 48 hours are critical. The investigation is assigned to Major Zabelin, one of the police force’s best investigators. As the search unfolds, carefully concealed secrets from Judge Nesterov’s past begin to surface one after another. Now the fate of underage Anya is directly tied to her father’s willingness—a man whose name has long been synonymous with incorruptibility and justice—to admit to a professional error he made in the past.
