An epic saga about a turning point in the history of Russia and Turkey unfolds against the backdrop of majestic Constantinople in the early 1920s. The city, once the capital of great empires, has now become a refuge for thousands of Russian émigrés seeking salvation from the Civil War. At the heart of the story is the fate of White Army Colonel Sergei Neratov, who has lost everything: his family, his rank, his homeland. Arriving in Constantinople with the remnants of Wrangel’s defeated army, he finds himself in an alien world where Russian émigrés are forced to struggle for survival in a hostile environment. The unique intertwining of the destinies of different characters creates a multifaceted portrait of the era: the adventurer Pyotr Sablin and his sister Serafima, dreaming of reaching America; the talented virologist Dr. Borodaevsky; and other characters, each of whom carries their own dramatic story.
