Throughout the second half of the XIX and the beginning of the XX century, Russia lived in anticipation of the inevitable changes – the reorganization of state and public life on a fair basis. The book contains stories from the Russian history of this period. They feature such famous faces as Sofia Perovskaya, Chernyshevsky, Chekhov, Tolstoy, Mayakovsky, Meyerhold, the leader of the left SRS Maria Spiridonova, Lenin and Stalin. The author gives unique historical details, shows the atmosphere of the time, the mood of various circles of Russian society.