A summary of Tatyana Korsakova’s "The Cursed Inheritance" Automatic translate

This book is a mystical detective story, created in 2017, whose events revolve around the dark secrets of a castle on Strazhevoy Island and the tragic fates of several generations. A key feature of the text is its interweaving of ancient Ural legends about the undead with real crimes, where greed and family sins prove more terrifying than otherworldly forces. This work is part of the extensive "Mystery of the Old Estate" cycle (or a series of novels about Chernokamensk in the Urals), where it serves as a connecting link, revealing the true origins of some of the characters.

The appearance of the heirs on the Guardian Stone

On Guard Island near Chernokamensk, the Black Chimera awakens after seventeen years of slumber — a grim castle built with blood by industrialist Sergei Zlotnikov. The elderly architect August Berg, who lives in a lighthouse with his speckled cat and coexists side by side with the swamp’s undead, the Albasts, senses trouble approaching. His solitude is interrupted by Vikenty Pilipeyko, the attorney for the wealthy and powerful widow Matryona Kutasova. Pilipeyko claims that the castle and Zlotnikov’s millions belong to the new heirs, as the industrialist’s legitimate son, Ilka, allegedly died long ago in a fire along with his mother.

Following the attorney, numerous relatives arrive on the island, laying claim to a share of the inheritance. The first to arrive is the impoverished Anton Sidorovich Kutasov with his capricious wife, Ekaterina (formerly the actress Mademoiselle Coty), and their wayward son, Serge, mired in debt. Next comes the monumental Matryona Kutasova with her young, dandy husband, Anatole, their daughter, Natalie, and their son, Vsevolod, who dreams of securing funds to modernize the family’s failing factory. Vsevolod is accompanied by his college friend, the modest and intelligent scientist Mikhail Podolsky. The last to arrive at the castle is the enigmatic Baroness Agatha Dmitrievna von Dorf from Vienna, accompanied by the inconspicuous manager, Hermann Schultz. The Baroness never takes off her silk mask and gloves, concealing some secret from the world. The locals fear the island, remembering the horrific massacre seventeen years earlier, when Zlotnikov was beheaded by a mysterious man-eating wolf. However, the thirst for money compels the new arrivals to stay. A brash and confident Moscow dandy, Klim Tumanov, shows up at the dinner, declaring his intention to buy the entire island.

Secrets of the past and the arrival of Anna Shumilina

At the same time, Anna, née Countess Shumilina, arrives incognito in Chernokamensk. She was raised in St. Petersburg by her loving adoptive parents — Aunt Nastya and engineer Viktor Serov — and her grandfather, an elderly Mari man named Kaisy. Since childhood, Anna has been haunted by nightmares of forest caves, a silver swallow, and a terrifying Yellow-Eyed Monster lurking at the bottom of the lake. Having escaped her family’s care, she hopes to discover the truth about the death of her birth parents — Fyodor Shumilin and the mute beauty Ivy. In St. Petersburg, Anna met Mikhail Podolsky, who volunteered to assist her in her research. Anna secretly copied a mysterious ancient map of the underground passages of the Guard Stone from Uncle Viktor’s desk, hoping it would help her find answers or an ancient treasure.

On the way to Chernokamensk, Anna and Mikhail’s carriage breaks down during a thunderstorm. They are picked up by Klim Tumanov. Klim’s behavior is provocative and insolent, leading to a conflict between him and Mikhail. Anna catches a severe cold in the downpour. At the Chernokamensk hotel, she develops a severe case of pneumonia. That night, Tumanov, noticing from the window that Anna has lost consciousness, sneaks into her room and carries her to the local doctor, Lavrenty Paliy. Klim’s touch miraculously takes away Anna’s fever. Doctor Paliy, examining the girl, recognizes her as Ivy and Fyodor’s daughter, whom everyone in town believed died in infancy. In the morning, Mikhail finds Anna at the doctor’s and, blinded by jealousy and the townspeople’s malicious gossip, accuses her of having a secret meeting with Tumanov. Mikhail takes Anna to the Kutasovs’ abandoned city estate, where she finds solace in repairing the antique clock tower mechanism designed by August Berg. Afterward, her piebald hair suddenly turns a silvery-white hue, and her gray eyes begin to glow with silver sparkles, making her an exact replica of her late mother.

A series of brutal murders on the island

The first blood is spilled at the Guard Stone. The mangled body of Hermann Schultz, the Baroness’s steward, is found near the pier. His face is completely severed and his chest is crushed. Enormous wolf tracks are discovered around the body, and the terrified servants begin screaming for the werewolf’s return. Architect Berg notices that the animal tracks end at the castle’s back entrance, and the killer has wiped away his human footprints with a bloody rag.

Matryona Kutasova hosts a dinner party, inviting Klim Tumanov and Anna. During the feast, Ekaterina (Koti) Kutasova begins publicly insulting Anna, alluding to her disgraceful night with Klim at the hotel. Mikhail Podolsky cowardly remains silent, failing to defend his fiancée. Then Tumanov announces that Anna is his betrothed and places a diamond ring on her finger, saving her reputation. A drunken August Berg plays along with Klim and gives him his old silver ring, which he once received from Taybek. That same night, a second body is found on the lakeshore: that of runaway worker Gordey Terekhin, who had beaten his wife to death. He was skinned alive.

An atmosphere of paranoia permeates the castle. The next victim is Koti Kutasova. She is found dead in her own bedroom, bolted from the inside. Fresh wolf claw marks adorn the walls, and before her death, she begged for mercy. In the chaos, attorney Pilipeyko, aware of Matryona’s complete financial ruin, blackmails her into consenting to his marriage to Natalie. Upon learning of this, Natalie secretly marries Serge Kutasov in the city church and elopes with him. Anton Sidorovich Kutasov, driven mad by grief and alcohol, locks himself in his wife’s blood-stained bedroom and hangs himself from the closet door. Vsevolod Kutasov returns to the castle completely deranged — drooling and laughing like a child.

Bloody ending in the dungeon

Klim Tumanov visits August Berg at the lighthouse. The old man recognizes the ring and realizes that Klim is the surviving Ilka, Zlotnikov’s legitimate heir, whom Berg and the Kaisys hid with his sister in St. Petersburg many years ago. To save the boy from the persecution of greed, the Albasty, at Berg’s request, erased Ilka’s memory, depriving him of his memories and, along with them, the color and zest for life.

Mikhail Podolsky’s true nature is revealed. He turns out to be the son of the brutal bandit Sirotka, Zlotnikov’s accomplice. Mikhail, along with Vsevolod, was searching for the dungeons and treasure. Mikhail stole the other half of the underground passage map from Berg. He was the one who pushed Anna off the tower into the lake (Klim saved her), stabbed Anatole, who was blackmailing him, and killed the guard Mitrofan and kidnapped Anna, locking her in an underground sack. Mikhail demands that Berg give him the ancient mirrors of the Yellow-Eyed Monster, which can show the way to the treasure.

August Berg brings mirrors wrapped in canvas to an underground cave by the lake. Vsevolod Kutasov peers into the mirror and instantly goes mad, distraught by what he sees. Anna frees her hands with a knife given to her by Kaisa’s grandfather and stabs Mikhail in the shoulder. August Berg attacks Podolsky, giving Anna time to escape, and is fatally stabbed in the ribs. An albasty appears in the cave, drawn by rage and blood. She brutally murders Mikhail Podolsky. Klim Tumanov finds Anna in the dungeon and brings her outside. Before his death, August Berg is visited by the ghostly reflection of his late wife, Evdokia. She returns Klim-Ilka his true memories and the colors of the world. The old architect dies smiling in the arms of his adopted children.

The Baroness’s Revelation and the Finale

The surviving inhabitants gather in the castle’s drawing room. The enigmatic Baroness Agatha von Dorf removes her mask and gloves, revealing horrific scars. It is revealed that seventeen years ago, she was Zlotnikov’s mistress and bore him a son, Mark. Out of greed, Matryona Kutasova persuaded Anton and Koti to kill the child. Anton drugged the Baroness with ether, and Koti pushed the stroller with the baby into the pond. All these years, the Baroness and her faithful Hermann Schultz (who faked his death on the pier and committed all the "wolf" murders on the island with steel claws) have been plotting an elaborate revenge. The Baroness leaves Matryona Kutasova to live in poverty with her insane son, Vsevolod, and their daughter, Natalie, who is beaten and robbed by her new husband, Pilipeyko.

August Berg’s funeral is taking place at the estate. Dmitry and Sofya Rudazov, Ksyusha, Trofim, and Venka arrive. Sofya tearfully recognizes Klim as her deceased nephew Ilka. Klim finds a loving family. Anna sets the ancient chimes on the clock tower ringing. She approaches Klim and takes his hand, realizing that their destinies are now forever linked, and the dark secrets of the Guardian Stone have finally released their victims.