Moscow, 1902. The famous director Konstantin Stanislavsky, in search of inspiration for staging a new play, decides to get acquainted with the life of the city "bottom". He turns to Vladimir Gilyarovsky, a recognized expert on the Moscow slums, for help. Together they go to the legendary bandit Khitrovka and find themselves embroiled in the investigation of the murder of a mysterious local resident - an Indian Sikh with a dark past.