The elderly Mikola Menyhért, former imperial and royal master detective, talks about the great criminals of a bygone era on television. He considers Ignác Sztrasznov to be the uncrowned king of swindlers, the greatest swindler of the Monarchy. To describe him, suffice it to say that at the age of 23, he sold the entire Vérmező to a Bulgarian horticulturalist, swindled money from lords, industrialists, and businessmen while dressed in a smart military uniform, and did not spare even the higher circles of the church. Mikola's narration brings Strasznov's adventures to life.