This novel is a prologue to the Death Saga, describing the background to the events of the trilogy. Who is he, a strange creature that arose in the depths of the Zone? What caused his appearance? Some call him a man, while others call him a mutant. His father is unknown, and his mother died fleeing from mysterious killers. He was born in the Zone and knows it best. No one can find anomalies and handle mutants the way he does. No one knows the secret paths on which he walks, no one will be able to track him ... After all, he is the talisman of the Zone . But what happens if all the stalkers want him dead?