Kelly, Martha Hall.
It is 1914 and the world has been on the brink of war so many times
many New Yorkers treat the subject with only passing interest. Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva
a cousin of the Romanovs. The two met years ago one summer in Paris and became close confidantes. Now Eliza embarks on the trip of a lifetime
home with Sofya to see the splendors of Russia: the church with the interior covered in jeweled mosaics
the Rembrandts at the Tsar's Winter Palace
the famous ballet. But when Austria declares war on Serbia and Russia's Imperial dynasty begins to fall
Eliza escapes back to America
while Sofya and her family flee to their estate outside the city. In need of domestic help
they hire the local fortuneteller's daughter
Varinka
unknowingly bringing intense danger into their home. On the other side of the Atlantic
Eliza is doing her part to help the White Russian families find safety as they escape the revolution. But when Sofya's letters suddenly stop coming she fears the worst for her best friend.
From the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg and aristocratic estates of the countryside to the avenues of Paris and the society of fallen Russian migr s there to the mansions of Long Island
the lives of Eliza
Sofya
and Varinka will intersect in profound ways
taking readers on a breathtaking ride through a momentous time in history.