1938, Soviet Russia. There were two of them, both strong and courageous. But one fateful day, Igor Petrov, the commander of a Red Army unit, is compelled to exchange ID papers with a satecracker known as Ash. The incident leads both men to start their lives completely anew. For the following ten years, Petrov and Ash will live their lives in the fear of discovery. They will commit acts of bravery and insidious crimes in the name of the other so that the thiet becomes a hero, while the commander turns into a violent outlaw. The only thing they have in common is a tragic, painful love for the same woman. For ten years they will each encounter death and destruction before fate brings them together once more. There will be two of them again - strong and courageous, ready to fight for their love.. with the knowledge that retribution awaits them.

The action takes place in Victorian England in the last quarter of the 19th century. 27-year-old amateur detective Sherlock Holmes becomes a bystander to a crime along with Dr. John Watson, a military doctor who has just returned from the war in Afghanistan. During the investigation, Watson, not yet having an apartment in London, settles with Holmes in Mrs. Hudson's «half board», and then takes part in the affairs of his new friend. Watson gives Holmes boxing lessons. Watson himself is an experienced boxer, able to deal with several opponents with his bare hands. In addition, he is an excellent marksman. Considering Holmes a genius, the doctor decides to tell the whole world about his talent and the mysteries he revealed in his stories, where he often embellishes the events («the true story» of which the series presents). Watson is taught to embellish events by the editor-in-chief of the «Morning Chronicle».

Taxi driver Larisa Aidarova from a small seaside town is preparing for the wedding with her beloved Maksim, with whom she has been working and living together for more than a year. But all plans collapse when Maksim is detained on suspicion of murder.