Winter, 1916. In St. Petersburg, snow falls on a country on the brink of revolution. The beautiful and dynamic Sashenka Zeitlin is only sixteen. While her mother entertains Rasputin and his dastardly friends, Sashenka ventures into the frozen night to engage in a dangerous game of conspiracy and defiance. Twenty years later, Sashenka has a powerful husband and two children. Around her, people are disappearing, but her own family is safe. However, she is about to embark on a forbidden love affair that will have devastating consequences. Sashenka's story remains hidden for half a century, until a young historian delves into Stalin's private archives and uncovers a shocking tale of passion and betrayal, brutal cruelty, and unexpected heroism—and a woman forced to make an unbearable decision...