In 1908, there were still unexplored territories on the world map. Very little was known about the northern part of the Ussuri region and the areas around the Sikhote-Alin ridge, where a mysterious volcanic field from the Mesozoic era was located. The traveler and archaeologist Vladimir Klavdievich Arseniev decided to explore these lands. For support, the leadership of the Priamur region provided him with seven soldiers, two Ussuri Cossacks, a translator from the Nanai language, and a Chinese scout named Zhang-Bao. The group was divided into two teams, which were to take different routes and meet at a designated point.

Initially, Arseniev's group successfully crossed all rivers and mountains and reached a vast plateau. The archaeologist hoped to find villages of local natives, but time passed, and all around were only forests and mountains. It turned out that this area was uninhabited. Gradually, food supplies dwindled, and the situation worsened due to an incident: while descending the river, the boats capsized, part of the equipment sank, and the provisions got wet. A severe famine began.

According to Vladimir Arseniev's recollections, while making their way through dense thickets, hills, and taiga, people ate everything they could find: leaves, berries, and mushrooms, which later made many feel nauseous. In one of the episodes described by the archaeologist, a dog found rotten fish, and the people tried to take it from the animal. On the last night, the Chinese guide lost his mind. He got up in the middle of the night and walked into the taiga. Exhausted soldiers crawled after him on their knees but, drained of strength, fell to the ground. However, Zhang-Bao managed to reach the other team. All the emaciated were sent to the cities, but Arseniev decided to continue the expedition. And it was not in vain!

Thanks to his efforts, accurate maps of the area were created, important objects were photographed, two sites of prehistoric Stone Age people were found, and diaries of meteorological observations and astronomical measurements were compiled. Later, based on his letters, a book titled 'Life and Adventures in the Taiga' was written.