The author documents the state of affairs in Russian prisons as of 2022. Prison conditions, prison medicine, food, regime, cell conditions, visits, transfers, and many other details of prisoners' lives are described in her new book by renowned human rights activist and journalist Eva Merkacheva.

Behind every page are the human destinies of not only prisoners, but also the victims of their crimes and law enforcement officers. The author also writes about women's prison colonies, about 'red zones' where secret service employees serve their sentences, about famous inmates of notorious pre-trial detention centers, about egregious cases of abuse of power, about bullying and torture, about the selfless work of human rights activists trying to improve prison conditions, about the legendary Andrei Babushkin.

The book contains many statistics, little-known facts, and real stories.

The appendix to the main text is a unique short 'guide' to Moscow prisons.

The final part of the book contains a letter of appeal from Eva Merkacheva to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his response.