Private detective Stas Severin receives a task from his old friend - to find the murderer of his wife. From the incoherent explanations of the client, Stas understands that we are talking about a large inheritance of the famous antique collector Arefyev, the applicants for which make up the circle of suspects. The mysterious key given to the detective should help in solving the mystery.
The plot is tied to unusual works of art. Each of the paintings depicts a sleeping man, and the soul is enclosed in the canvas itself. This curse came to the modern world from an artist who loves his wife to madness. When she was dying, the master, by the power of his feelings, imprisoned her soul in a portrait. This legend inspired businessman Pavel Voronov to collect a collection of paintings with sleeping heroes. Photographer Kostya and art critic Agnes help him in this. The artist Alexey Tikhonov is also hunting for unusual paintings, who dreams of continuing the work of the master and learning how to enclose souls in portraits.
The wife of the aircraft designer, Olga Pavlova, the head of the Moscow garment factory, and the wife of the director of the opera house, the famous Soviet opera singer Sofia Ter-Ashaturova, meet in the prison car of the train. Together they will go to Akmola camp of the wives of traitors of the Motherland, where there will be representatives of the most different strata of the population. Heroes will need strength of spirit and endurance to pass all the terrible ordeals on their way and remain human.
Captain Emelin, nicknamed Emelya, Captain Vasin and Dolbunov are investigating the most complicated crimes, and criminologist Masha Likhacheva helps them in this. Emelya's reputation is so-so, the head of the department, Colonel Khitruk, dislikes him for his independent character, but has to put up with him because Emelya has a good disclosure.