Sergey Khachaturov

A Russian missile submarine disappears without trace during a secret mission in the Greenland Sea. A vessel is deployed to search for it, captained by the brother of the missing submarine’s commander. The search crew is tasked with locating the submarine and preventing a top-secret weapon from falling into enemy hands. Meanwhile, a geological research operation at the North Pole awakens the Kraken, a giant deep-water monster with an incredible ability to camouflage and an uncanny intelligence. As the search party narrows in on the missing submarine, they will encounter the legendary creature of the deep.

This is a story about the actor Shchiptsov, a man of robust build, who became famous not so much for his stage talent as for his extraordinary physical strength. He had a quarrel with the theater director during the intermission, and in the midst of the quarrel, he suddenly felt as if something had given way in his chest. Shchiptsov feels that he will die soon; he sits in the dressing room and quietly repeats that he wants to go back to his homeland — to Vyazma, but none of the actors fully believes that he is seriously ill; they “jokingly” encourage him. When the second act begins, everyone calmly leaves the stage; he, alone and using his last remaining strength, climbs onto the roof and falls dead.