Publisher's Synopsis
In the early 1930s, Antin Shevchenko, a Ukrainian farmer, subsists in a society that has changed little from previous generations. His days are spent behind a plow or harrow in the vocation that more than any other maintains an organic connection to the land. A devout husband, doting father and faithful socialist, his world is about to collide with a Soviet apparatus whose dual obsession with state security and Russophilic federalism, will leave an entire republic devastated and desolate in its destructive wake. He will embark on a psychological journey where his own dual obsession of dignity and devotion will be challenged, and eventually discarded for the bare necessity of physical survival.
Over a thousand kilometers away, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Walter Duranty basks in the opulence afforded to a foreigner in Moscow. In the world's first modern socialist experiment, Duranty thrives around plates of caviar and glittering jewelry, penning articles that grace the front pages of The New York Times, and rubbing elbows with international celebrities and businessmen who look to him for an explanation of what it all means. While satisfying his journalistic responsibilities, he strives to fulfill another agenda, indifferent to its sinister consequences that jeopardizes the lives of Antin, his family and an entire way of life.
Two men, living worlds apart, share a connection in that both are essential participants in one of the worst catastrophes in human history.
