Former white officer, now an employee of the NKVD, and master of martial arts Viktor Spiridonov meets with disgraced Soviet intelligence agent Vasily Oshchepkov, who spent a long time studying judo in Japan. They quickly find common ground because they are both obsessed with the idea of creating national self-defence art. However, their joint work soon turns into an irreconcilable confrontation. Intrigues, betrayal, and emotions will predetermine the tragic destinies of the two great creators of sambo.