Adult life for simple village guy Sasha Vanyukin starts with murder. However, the draw of a beautiful life in the big city turned out to be stronger than any crisis of conscience and the murder case remained unclosed. Vanyukin's business started with petty theft and unlawful trading of rare icons and, in the upheaval of the early 90's, this is what brought him success and made him the owner of a major bank. But, in life you pay for your mistakes, and Vanyukin has a long list of sins. He doesn't suspect that the long forgotten murder will become a curse for him, his family and his children...—russart.com

A tale of the founding of a family, with mysteries and unexpected twists set in the context of 20th century Russian history. Young Sasha Vanyukhin can't wait to get out of his village and find his fortune in the capitol. He is so ambitious that he is willing to do anything, and his ambition causes him to make a fateful mistake that requires him to pay a price that is too high.—Pavel P.