Ripped away from the only family she ever knew, Vlada struggles with a new identity in a foreign world where no one can be trusted. At the hands of her misguided father and ineffectual mother, Vlada endures a series of life-changing events that shape her future. But who is the mysterious Nicolo Sargente? Can he help reunite Vlada with her beloved grandparents, living in Italy? And what will happen to her dark, tormented brother, Toni?

This intriguing novel, set in the Soviet Union, exposes the vulnerabilities of a family tempted by the ideals of communism as they grapple with the realities of totalitarianism and Siberian labor camps.