During a complex operation in a leading clinic, patient Yakovenko dies. His relatives file a complaint with the prosecutor's office. Assistant Prosecutor Klivtsova, investigating the case, becomes convinced that the doctor, head of the Department of Surgery Marchuk, who is accused of a high percentage of mortality, must be defended, because he is a talented thoracic surgeon, and the high percentage of mortality after his operations is due to the fact that he treats the most hopeless patients, using every chance in the fight for their lives. However, his colleagues who avoid working with critically ill patients will not be easily accused of malpractice.