Late 1970s. When Arkady meets Illya for the first time, he's confused about his future, in hot waters with his powerful father - a Red Army General - and probably with the Party too. Alternating POV. A multi-chaptered, detailed recount of how the two men came to know, trust, love each other.

KGB Headquarters, 1980s. An unexpected announcement triggers Illya into an episode, and feelings re-surface in all their destructiveness. Arkady Renko, Illya's trainee, struggles to understand what his mentor is going through.