The plot is set in modern Moscow, in the 1990s, with "New Russians", Hummer H1 SUVs, bribery, violence, truck fulls of tinned stew as a dowry, etc.
A Soviet cargo ship carrying medical opium gets attacked by pirates of an unknown nationality. The crew is left to die on a sinking ship but they manage to escape and now must fight the pirates for survival.
An interstellar expedition is sent to study a strange planet. Despite the fact that creatures from various Earth time periods inhabit the world, the natives possess metal swords, even though they should have no knowledge of such weaponry.
