Moscow, 1956. Four women who are tied by the military past: work in the special department of the GRU, 11 years later converge again to conduct investigations and help the investigating authorities in especially complicated cases. With phenomenal analytical skills, Irina, Anna, Sophia and Katerina risk themselves, as well as the well-being of their own families, in order to get on the trail of criminals who threaten the lives of ordinary people and the whole country. Cipher is a Russian television detective based on the British mini-series The Bletchley Circle. The working title of the series is "The Ciphers". The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television, Lean-M and the Pobeda Production Association. The premiere of the television series took place on March 11, 2019 on Channel One.

Sleepers (sleeper agents) are agents deeply incorporated into the structure of opposing forces. They are recruited before they get access to classified information, sometimes even before they start working in the field that interests the recruiting party. They are often recruited "to grow up". The action takes place in Moscow in June 2013 on the eve of major geopolitical events and upheavals that, as a result, will change the future life of the world.

Shorty after the 1917 Russian Revolution, during the New Economic Policy era, a criminal becomes a police officer through a case of mistaken identity and uses his knowledge to solve cases previously out of reach of the force.