When the corpse of a distinguished general and presidential adviser is found, attached to an advertising balloon, lieutenant Viktor Slutsky is sent in to investigate. Meanwhile, KGB officer Nik Tsensky arrives in Kiev for a secret mission. Their quests eventually converge as they race around Europe becoming involved in a battle between the Russian and Ukrainian secret services as they hunt for hidden treasure — a stash of KGB gold. A larger-than-life hitman, bombs under furniture, a hearse, a deaf-and-dumb blonde and a backfiring automatic all play a part as Kurkov evokes a world of secret militia not seen before in Western fiction.