Ninety years ago, in the summer of 1933, the steamer Chelyuskin went on its first and, as it turned out, last voyage. The goal of the campaign – to pass the Northern Sea Route in one navigation – was not achieved; the ship, crushed by ice, sank on February 13, 1934 in the Chukchi Sea. The death of the steamer Chelyuskin, the two–month survival of hundreds of men, women and children in the Arctic icy desert, their miraculous rescue is without a doubt the most important and brightest event in the history of the pre-war Soviet Union. The evacuation of passengers and crew of the steamer caused a huge resonance around the world. It was almost the first reality show in the world: the whole of humanity watched the full dramatic turns of the rescue operation unfolding in the ice of the polar ocean almost on a daily basis. There was no television at that time, but newspapers and radio managed to create the necessary degree of emotional intensity and forced residents of many countries to follow the fate of the polar robinsons and empathize with them. The triumphant completion of the operation raised the authority of the USSR to an incredible height. "We will not abandon anyone!"; "We will save everyone, no matter what it costs!"; "Even sled dogs were taken out!" – of course, this could not but resonate in the hearts of the audience. The real heroes were the pilots who took people off the ice floe. Seven brave pilots went down in history, at least in the domestic, they became the first to be awarded the highest award of the country – the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union. Their feat is indisputable, the awards are deserved. But the official historiography turned out to be greatly distorted for the sake of ideology: some heroes were praised, while others were diligently hidden in the shadows. Despite the abundance of publications, there is no chronological description of the Chelyuskin epic. The book "In the Shadow of the First Heroes" is the story of a rescue operation, a story about all its heroes, including those unknown to the general public. In the process of studying the materials, the author also managed to make a few interesting discoveries. They seemed to be lying on the surface, but did not fit into the "canon", and no one mentioned them. The sources of information are given at the end of each of the three parts of the book – they are referenced in the text. Spelling and punctuation in quotations are preserved. The conclusions drawn in the book may seem controversial to many readers, but the author has outlined his version of the development of events, based on the memories of their participants and a solid documentary base The book is so detailed and fascinating that it will certainly arouse great interest among readers of all ages.