This book tells the extraordinary story of a life spent in extraordinary circumstances. The author was born in Moscow and grew up in a Russia still adjusting to the post-Stalin era. An eventful enough life spent in the stability and certainty of Cold War communism was thrown into turmoil when the great Soviet experiment drew to an end during the late 1980's. In the chaos that replaced it the author, together with her small daughter, left the land of their birth and headed for England, on the other side of the recently withdrawn Iron Curtain. And so began the second phase of the author's life with a new family, in a new land, requiring new work and facing new challenges. This moving and fascinating account is revealed as a rich tapestry into which are woven threads of adventure and excitement, humour and joy, as well as those of fear, despair and tragedy. It is a tale of two lives within two countries across two cultures throughout which pervades an unwavering instinct for survival and a mother's unquestioning love. The book will appeal to a wide audience. For advanced level students of Russian (and for Russian-speaking students learning English) its dual-language format will be of particular interest - a story of two lives across two lands in two languages. And for those not learning a language, it is a highly unusual and interesting story in its own right. There are also amusing quotations, explanatory footnotes, questions, and charming illustrations including many of the author's original photographs.