In 1979, in one of the northern Soviet cities, the police are investigating the murder of a man who was on his way home from the gold mines. The detectives track down the main suspect, Grigory Milinko. But the further the case progresses, the more complicated it becomes, as it turns out that the real Milinko died during the war. So someone stole his name. The criminal is declared wanted throughout the Soviet Union, but the crimes continue.