In the book by Ukrainian writer Valery Primost, three stories are presented about the lives of soldiers in the Transbaikal Military District during the late USSR.

It doesn't matter if you are strong or weak, whether you are a city intellectual or a simple rural guy. The Russian army juggernaut will grind you down and spit you out — twisted and empty. Even if you survive, something inside you will die forever.

This book tells the story of three metamorphoses:

"Zhidyara" — about how kindness is punished, and humanity breeds hatred.

"Staff Bitch" — about how intelligence is a sentence, and fear kills the mind, then the body.

"We Are Elks" — about how strength paves the way for violence, and the predator eventually becomes the prey.

Based on real events.