May 7, 1901. Warsaw railway station in Saint Petersburg, Russia. A mutilated body is found on the rails. The deceased is identified as Oleksiy Alchevsky – a renowned banker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, one of the richest people of the Russian Empire’s South. A note, found on the body, attests that it was a suicide.

Rumors, that Alchevsky was killed, start spreading all over the empire.  Realizing that this can potentially lead to a scandal, the St. Petersburg Police Department decides to investigate Alchevsky's death and entrusts the case to a young detective, Vasily Yanovsky. The investigator does not disclose to anyone, that his father was well acquainted with the deceased – so this is personal, and this is a matter of honor.

Vasily understands, that in order to solve this case, it is necessary to know everything about Alchevsky. He begins to dig and delve. Interrogating each suspect (wife, children, competitors) he makes a psychological profile of Alchevskiy, and it helps him to find answers to the main questions - was it suicide? And who has ruined Alchevsky's empire?