What did Gorbachev do on the three August days of 1991? What and why did the conspirators not agree on on the decisive night of the coup? What did the investigation into the GKChP case, which was conducted by the prosecutor's office under the leadership of the first Prosecutor General of Russia, Valentin Stepankov, find out? Why were the major officials arrested and brought to criminal responsibility, the organizers of the August events, amnestied?The reader will find answers to these and other questions in the book, the author of which, based on the materials of the investigation and personal observations, proves that 30 years ago the country faced a real conspiracy that tragically changed its fate.