Whatever era Radzinsky's story touches on, it always addresses the present. The author's non-trivial versions of events, the unique style of communication with the viewer help E. Radzinsky to involve the audience in the era about which the story is being told, make them feel the same feelings that historical characters experienced, coming to life in his masterful image.
Why was Stalin in demand by History? What was hidden behind the most mysterious - the last years of his reign? Why did the destruction of the elite and a new terror follow after the victory in the Great Patriotic War? Was the world on the eve of the Apocalypse? All these questions are heard in the film by Edvard Radzinsky.