This book provides a real sense of what it was like to live at the ti me when the Soviet Union collapsed. The reader will "step in" and participate in the lives of the characters, realizing the devastating impact Perestroika had on the people of Russia. "Don't be born beautiful, but be born fortunate," the Russian people say, believing that fate exists. On graduation day, a provincial teacher gives her daughter a pair of priceless antique earrings-the only remaining evidence of the family's former nobility-insisting they must be kept for a "black day." As if a spell has been cast, Lena's life begins falling apart: her fiance is killed in Afghanistan, she loses her baby, and, after a brutal assault, is forced into prostitution. Victor is a military officer who has gone through the bloody "meat grinder" of Afghanistan. Returning home, he doesn't recognize the country he left a few years ago: he has no place to live, no possibility of employment, and no money in the bank. His only recourse in civilian life is to become a hired killer for his former commander. This novel takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride. Just when Lena and Victor seem to find happiness in their lives, fate intervenes through the forces of war, poverty, and death. The reader will finish the book greatly enriched with a deeper understanding of Soviet history, culture, and that mysterious "Russian soul.""