It is the era of High-Stalinism, and through a series of flashbacks we are introduced to Georgii Radetzky. Recruited by the Bolsheviks he goes to work for the Cheka; we also find out, as the story unfolds, that once upon a time he was a loyal servant of the Tsar, and assistant to Russias greatest, unknown, detective Auguste Gerhardt. Moscow is a city turned upside down by the ravages of war, revolution, civil war and famine. The Bolshevik rump state is surrounded by the Whites. Everybodys fighting to survive. Fast forward to the winter of 1918 - 19; one of Georgiis old associates, Gerhardt, finds out that hes back in town; and decides, on the off chance, to catch up with him and have a quiet word. From this moment on, Comrade Radetzky finds himself steadily drawn into a scheming Kremlin world of political intrigue, which is being acted out behind the scenes, in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on Lenin. This web of deception brings him into contact with master-spy Sidney Reilly, and the rising star of the Bolshevik party Josef Stalin. At first, completely ignorant of the facts, and not really realising where its all leading, Georgii Radetzky, discreetly, finds the evidence, and patiently pieces the case together. Although at this early stage, its still not immediately clear to him what hes getting himself into; but its a trail of deception, deceit and double cross that stretches all the way back in time, from Stalins office to a dusty attic in Sidney Street, and back through the Great War to Trotskys apartment in the Kremlin, and on to a forest clearing near the Dvina river. In this world Georgii finds love, and learns to swallow the bitter pill of betrayal; he makes some friends, has some good times, takes out some insurance, but hes always looking over his shoulder. Georgii Radetzky knows that hes caught up in a series of Machiavellian intrigues from which he cannot escape, but survive he must, because these events, as he will later find out, will have profound consequences for himself and every other man, woman and child, who ever lived through the Cold War. What would you do if YOU were Georgii Radetzky?