The Philosopher's Last Rhapsody

In 1998, Russia marches toward financial meltdown, and in its western exclave, which for seven centuries had been German territory, a cyclone of violence is gathering momentum.Anatoly Zavrazhin, tycoon of the isolated Kaliningrad region, wants to take over the lucrative amber industry. To do this, he must cut a deal with Governor Pyotr Mostovoi, whose hatred of Moscow has whipped up fantasies of autonomy, and outmaneuver Nikolai Nadezhdin, a decorated cop who has caught on to the oligarch's weapons-smuggling operation with the ranking army commander. But all these elite players are unaware that a chain of horrifying events among the rank-and-file is unfolding with destructive ferocity. A crew of crooked cops runs a deadly real estate fraud, a gang of outlaws kills people for their cars, and an amateur archeologist believes he had found a phenomenal WWII treasure hidden by the Nazis. And among all walks the philosopher -- anonymous, appalled, inspired, and determined to find a cure to Russia's moral collapse.When their paths collide, the region will descend into mayhem.