Poor Lisa

In our days, Senior Investigator Volin takes on the investigation of a case involving a Ministry of Health official, Mikhail Golochev, who works in Moscow. Golochev is suspected of corruption, particularly of receiving billion-dollar bribes for the distribution of government contracts for the supply of medical equipment. During the investigation, it becomes clear that the official has no significant real estate in Russia or abroad, no bank accounts, and no luxury items. In Moscow, he lives in a service apartment, and all the furnishings are official. Volin seeks advice from his good friend, a historian of the special services, retired KGB General Sergey Sergeyevich Vorontsov. He might attempt to learn something about Golochev through his connections. At Vorontsov's request, Volin also sends him the latest memoirs of Nestor Vasilyevich Zagorsky, which the senior investigator has transcribed. August 1911. The painting by Leonardo da Vinci, "Mona Lisa del Giocondo," commonly referred to simply as "Gioconda," is stolen from the Louvre. The thief refers to himself as Mr. Decorator, but it is impossible to identify him. Meanwhile, Zagorsky and Gantzalinin are traveling around Europe. In the Italian city of Florence, they receive news that the "Gioconda" has been stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris. The painting went missing on a Monday, which was a day off for the museum. Ideally, this should simplify the investigation. However, the thief seems to have vanished along with the masterpiece, leaving almost no trace except for the protective box and the frame of the painting. Gantzalinin persuades the owner to get involved in investigating the theft. Zagorsky finds the circumstances of the theft quite curious and decides to take on the case, especially since the actual state councilor was planning a trip to Paris anyway.