In the city of N-sk, the governor's daughter dies under mysterious circumstances. Investigator Oleg Nesterov arrives from Moscow to N-sk to find out the circumstances of her death. In the place where the girl's body was found, a role-playing game based on the Karelian-Finnish epic "Kalevala" was taking place, and the chairwoman of the role-players, Vera, simultaneously begins her own investigation. However, new victims and a series of mysterious events confuse Oleg and Vera more and more. And soon Nesterov realizes that role-players are not the only ones playing in N-sk. The banker, the prosecutor, and the governor are all involved in some strange gambling game, the meaning of which is hidden from the uninitiated.