The tradition to decorate a house with wooden carving originates from heathen times. The pattern were considered to be magic amulets, which protected the house against evil spirits, misfortunes and diseases. The peculiar kind of wooden architecture still remains in the ancient city of Tyemen. Intricate patterns of Tyemen's buildings are like a ciphered message from another epoch. To r ead it can only the specialists. One of them, the hero of the film, Vadim Shitov is a painter-restorer, who prolongs the life of the ancient carving. He will show his workshop, where the blacken of time exhibits are kept, and tell how the process of restoration is carried out. The viewer will enjoy a walk along the silent streets of Tyemen, where the mansions, considered to the the pearls of the wooden architecture, are located.