What do you do when, in the midst of the stagnant 1980s, you receive a fantastic inheritance from abroad? Nine million dollars-a sum capable of providing a life of luxury for generations to come. But Moscow journalist Dmitry Krestovsky chooses a path that those around him call madness. Instead of villas, cruises, and expensive cars, he decides to build a unique international children's hospital in the Zhiguli Mountains, on the banks of his native Volga River-a living monument to his sister, who passed away too early.
This novel is about the clash of high idealism with heartless Soviet bureaucracy, the collapse of family well-being, and the discovery of a new faith. Against the backdrop of the twilight of an era and the beginning of great changes (Perestroika), the protagonist undergoes trials that test the strength of his conscience, his loyalty to his childhood dream, and his understanding of what is truly valuable in human life.