For the author of biographies of famous Russian collectors, there is nothing more interesting than unraveling the life stories of the Shchukin and Morozov brothers, studying the tastes of the Ryabushinsky family, or the “brilliant dilettante” Ostroukhov. Becoming bestsellers, they read like detective stories. So why shouldn't Natalia Semenova change the genre and write a detective novel, especially in collaboration with the philologist, translator, and curator of the Bakhmetevsky Archive at Columbia University, Tanya Chebotareva? Old friends—one in Moscow, the other in New York—have created an exciting story that takes us from country to country, from the early 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century. The fate of the main character—the painting "Gray Lovers" by Marc Chagall—is intertwined with betrayals, thefts, and even murders. Before our eyes come to life the shadows of "godfathers" and patrons of the young artist: collector Ivan Morozov, gallery owner Klavdia Mikhailova, critics Yakov Tugendhold and Abram Efros. And of course, as befits an art detective story plunging us into the world of antique dealers, art dealers, and famous auctions, a brave fighter against forgeries and smuggling of artworks appears.