Benya Golden, a Jewish writer, has been imprisoned in a Gulag. Rotting away he is rescued by a group of gangsters and given privileges that keep him alive but he realises that he will never escape. A chance appears in the form of the opportunity to join a Cossack band in the Army fighting the Nazis as they approach Stalingrad, a chance for redemption or death. Meanwhile an erstwhile friend of his is conducting a dangerous and secret correspondence with Stalin's teenage daughter. As Benya falls in love with an Italian nurse he is charged with a mission that could change his life.

This is a complex but gripping story. Benya is a man placed in an impossible situation and he tries the best he can to get out of it. The romance is handled sensitively and writing about the horses is wonderful. Whilst visceral in parts when describing battle, this is also a very gentle tale. ( )