: Earthlings discover on Mars humanoid civilization and support the planetary revolution. The daughter of the head of Mars falls in love with an earthly engineer, but the revolution is defeated, and the lovers break up

The correspondent of an American newspaper notices on one of the avenues of St. Petersburg a strange announcement written in ordinary ink pencil. In it, the engineer Elk invited everyone on an expedition to Mars. The correspondent writes down the address of the engineer, and a man dressed as a soldier, with a strong nape, a tanned, carefree face, a scar on his temple and lazy, gray-brown eyes with a spark, becomes interested in the announcement.

The correspondent is looking for a workshop Elk in the depths of a cluttered yard. The engineer, well-built, with thick snow-white hair and a young face, shows the aircraft an American in the form of a huge steel egg and declares that he will reach Mars in nine or ten hours. The correspondent is not going to fly to Mars, but offers Elk good money for travel notes. The engineer agrees.

Moose does not want to fly alone. Most of all, he is afraid to fly past Mars and die of starvation in the depths of space. In the evening, Elder comes to the soldier Gusev, who read the announcement, and agrees to fly. He is married, but childless, his whole life is engaged in war and revolution. Now, in peacetime, Gusev cannot sit still and is ready to go anywhere. For several years, large radio stations have been receiving strange signals. The moose is sure that they are coming from Mars, and there is intelligent life on the planet.

On the night before the flight, the Elk does not sleep, recalls the deceased wife, whom he loved very much. The engineer wants to leave Earth because of longing for his beloved woman. He hopes that on Mars he will feel better. Gusev also says goodbye to his wife. A woman loves her husband very much, but, knowing his restless nature, she realizes that she will not be kept near him for a long time. And now she has to come to terms.

A large crowd is following the departure. Leaving the earthly atmosphere, travelers lose consciousness and come to their senses already in space. With a risk passing the moon, they descend to Mars and exit the device. The air of the planet is thin and dry, in the dark blue sky there is a "blazing, shaggy sun." The device lies "on an orange-orange flat plain", overgrown with tall cacti, which turn out to be living plants. It soon turns out that cacti grow in rows - this is a field.

After wandering around the cactus plantations, travelers return to the apparatus, near which they see a red-faced Martian on a flying device. Shouting at travelers for broken cacti, the Martian throws them a sack of provisions and flies away.

Having a snack, friends again explore the surroundings and stumble upon the ruins of houses. Gusev determines that the buildings are blown up - apparently, there was a war. In one of the rich abandoned dwellings, Elk finds a library of singing books, and Gusev finds a screen showing a large city. It is impossible to make out the city properly due to a short circuit.

Travelers spend the night near the egg apparatus. In the morning they are awakened by the sound of propellers - a flying ship, similar to a galley, descends before them. A blue-faced Martian in black clothes descends from the ship, accompanied by soldiers armed with guns. Leaving the guard around the "egg", he takes the travelers over the ridge to a rich plain called Azora, dotted with huge water reservoirs and canals. In the capital of Azores, the huge city of Soazere, travelers are met by an amazed crowd led by a black-bearded, stooped Martian.

Travelers settle in the estate, surrounded by a grove with azure foliage.Despite the comfort and gourmet food, Gusev is unhappy. He needs a "document on the accession of Mars" to the Soviet Republic. The moose believes that they should take out the wisdom of this world from Mars. The day after arrival, travelers get acquainted with the owner of the estate Aelita, the daughter of a black-bearded Martian. Aelita is a tender girl with a slightly elongated white-blue face and "huge pupils of ashen eyes." She shows guests a foggy ball reflecting memories. With the help of this ball, the Martian teaches earthlings her own language.

For seven days, travelers perfectly master the Martian language. Aelita tells Elk the story of Mars. Twenty millennia ago, the planet was inhabited by the orange race Aolov. Once a son of a shepherd appeared in one of the tribes. He spread the new teaching and spoke about the prophecy. Soon the prophecy of the son of a shepherd came true - the sons of heaven arrived on Mars. These were Atlanta. They enslaved a part of the Martians, forced to cultivate the land, build storage for water and dig channels. The remaining tribes rebelled against the Atlanteans, the war began. The Martians again remembered the teachings of the shepherd’s son, went to the mountains, built the Holy Threshold, under which they buried evil and cleansed themselves, passing through the fire. The Atlanteans crushed the resistance, but did not dare to approach the Holy Threshold. The children of heaven had no women. Once, a beautiful Atlas came to the Threshold and asked to give the daughters of the Aols as a wife to the sons of the Earth. From this union came the blue tribe of the mountains, and Mars began to flourish.

Gusev, meanwhile, is having an affair with the handmaid Iha, a funny, dark-blue, plump girl. From her, Gusev learns that the black-bearded Martian Tuskub is the head of Mars. Iha turns on the screen and shows Gusev a festivities on which the crowd inhales narcotic smoke. Switching the screen, Iha accidentally shows Gusev a meeting of the government. From the speech of Tuskub, Gusev understands that they want to kill them.

Aelita tells Elk the story of Atlantis. Thousands of tribes conquered this country and dissolved in it. After each war, Atlantis became increasingly powerful and wealthy. Finally, the era of peace came, the Atlanteans mastered ancient magic. This Knowledge split into two ways - white and black, the war began. At this time, a method was found "to instantly release the life force dormant in the seeds of plants." This power destroyed Atlantis. Only the top of the black order was saved, flying to Mars in egg-shaped vehicles.

Having learned to control the screen, Gusev explores Soatseru. With an experienced look, he notices the first signs of popular unrest in the capital - in Soazer, a struggle was brewing between Tuskub and the leader of the workers, engineer Gore. To stop this struggle and prevent the revolution, Tuskub decides to destroy the city - the nest of vice, and let the world "die calmly and solemnly." Gore against, he hopes for the help of earthlings. Trying to strangle the Supreme Ruler, the engineer is hiding. Gusev decides to intervene in the revolution and calls for Elk with him, but he does not want to fly away, he is in love with Aelita. Gusev flies away alone.

Tuskub intends to poison travelers. He gives his daughter poison to pour it on the food of the sons of heaven. Aelita, also in love with Elk, decides to save her beloved. In an air boat, she takes him to the mountains. On the road, Aelita shows Los a stone bottle with a poisonous potion, fastened in a chain to a ring dressed on the girl’s finger. Aelita brings her beloved to the temple, built around the Holy Threshold. There she performs an ancient ritual and becomes the wife of Elk.

At midnight, Elk returns to Tuskub's estate. It is full of corpses. One of the dying gives the engineer a note from Gusev. He besieges the House of Council and sends a ship for Elk. Having run out of the estate, the engineer stumbles upon the people of Tuskub who are shelling him. Soldiers are afraid of the son of heaven. He subordinates them to himself and sets off on a military boat to Gusev.

Gusev, meanwhile, leads the uprising. Workers believe that the son of heaven will save them, and joyfully obey him. Gusev’s assistant is Engineer Gore. Having captured the Arsenal and destroyed the squadron of warships, Gusev goes to arrest Tuskub, but he, together with faithful engineers and the remnants of the army, manages to escape through a huge underground labyrinth connecting almost all the cities of Mars. Previously, the labyrinth halls were warmed by the internal heat of the planet, and the Martians spent the winter in it. Gore believes that they cannot win the revolution - Tuskub will return and destroy them.

Tuskub’s army surrounds the city at night. Gusev resists, but Tuskub destroys the Arsenal and destroys the rebel air fleet. Several ships of the Head of the Council surround Gusev. In time, the elk who arrived in time pulled a comrade from the dump and persuades him to return to Earth. Gore shows them the entrance to the maze.

Having wandered for three hours in pitch darkness and almost perished in a well full of huge spiders, comrades come to the surface near the Tuskub manor. There they meet the servant of Aelita, who takes them to the Holy Threshold. The moose finds her beloved and spends the night with her. He wants to take her to Earth, but does not have time - Tuskub finds them with a detachment of soldiers. He orders to seize Aelita, and Elk to beat and leave to die.

Gusev notices a warship taking off, rushes to the aid of Elk and finds him unconscious. He understands that he needs to run, and flies to the "egg". Having hardly found the apparatus, Gusev discovers that the Martians are trying to destroy it. Having dispersed the soldier, he starts the engine, and the device rushes to the Earth.

Gusev cannot set the right course, and they wander for a long time in the void. An elk regains consciousness and detects memory lapses. It seems to him that Mars and Aelita are just a dream. Soon, the "egg" falls into the tail of the comet, which directs the apparatus to the Earth. The device lands on the shore of Lake Michigan. For travelers, the expedition took several months, and four years passed on Earth.

Moose and Gusev become famous. An engineer sells his notes to an American correspondent, but he does not need fame and money. He recalls Aelita and yearns for his beloved. Six months pass. Having traveled around the world with stories about the Martian adventures, Gusev returns to Russia and establishes a “Limited by Joint-Stock Company for the Transfer of the Military Unit to the Mars Planet for the Rescue of the Remains of its Labor Population”. Moose is building a new Martian type engine at the St. Petersburg plant and lives alone. He recalls the last moments spent with his beloved. Then Aelita managed to drink a little poison, and Elk finished the rest. Now it becomes clear to him: Aelita is alive.

Gusev comes for Elk. He reports that for a week now radio stations have been catching unknown signals of "extraordinary power." Gusev takes the engineer to a radio station near Peter, and Elk hears Aelita's distant voice in his earpiece, repeating: "Where are you?"