The life of the intellectual Samgin, depicted against the backdrop of the grand panorama of Russian life from 1877 to 1917.

Dr. Fiedler, in a secret underground laboratory located in the reserve, is working on experiments to create bestial creatures endowed with human intelligence. It would seem that contact with the beasts on an equal footing took place, but devoid of human morality and compassion, beast-like creatures rebelled against their creators. The journalist Battley, who learns about the monstrous rumors from the reserve, decides to conduct his own investigation and goes to the wilderness, where he encounters the products of Fiedler's terrible experiences.