The novel is not in vain characterized by the author himself as "theatrical". There is more than theater here. At the request of the widow of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, the famous detective Erast Petrovich Fandorin arrives at the new-fashioned theater "Noah's Ark". His main task is to prevent an unknown mortal danger that threatens the prima of the theater - Elise of Altair. And in fact, in the bouquet given to her by an unknown admirer, there is a viper. The experiences and sufferings of the actress touch Fandorin so much that he feels some kind of love for her. In this frenzy, he even writes a play in oriental taste, Two Comets in a Starless Sky, especially for Eliza. But while the detective is tormented by the pangs of falling in love, something terrible begins to happen in the theater - actors, spectators and fans die one by one ... Will Fandorin, blinded by love, be able to pull himself together and get down to business?
