A thrilling saga set in the Jewish republic of Birobidzhan

At the height of the Red Scare in the 1950s, the House Un-American Activities Committee questions a Russian woman named Marina. She stands accused of being a spy and is suspected of murdering OSS agent Michael Apron. But even more scandalous than the accusations against her is the truth that her interrogation will reveal.

In Russia, Marina was a successful actress—and one night, she found herself seduced by Stalin. To avoid a dangerous scandal, she pretended to be Jewish and fled to Birobidzhan, a lost city in the far southeastern corner of the Soviet Union bordering China, originally populated by those escaping the Nazis. This forgotten city was home to a wealth of Jewish culture and also happened to be in an ideal geographical position for the Allied forces to observe Japan’s movements in Manchuria. It was there that Marina met and fell in love with Michael Apron.

Following a fascinating heroine from Stalinist Russia to the United States during the McCarthy era, this thrilling story of love and espionage shows readers two worlds rocked by political turmoil.

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Marek Halter was born in Poland in 1936. During World War II, he and his parents narrowly escaped from the Warsaw ghetto. After a time in Russia and Uzbekistan, they immigrated to France in 1950. Then Halter embarked on a career as a painter that led to several international exhibitions. He is also the author of several internationally acclaimed, bestselling historical novels, including The Messiah, The Wind of the Khazars, Sarah, Zipporah, Lilah, and The Book of Abraham, which won the Prix du Livre Inter.