Early American history was born from European mysteries and myths. Leonid Spivak's new book, When There Was No America, reveals some of these secrets. Why did Cervantes get ready and not end up in the New World? How did the death of Queen Mary Stuart affect the fate of future settlers of New England? How is Shakespeare's name connected with the oldest university in the United States? The intrigues of Versailles and the courage of North American settlers, the fate of the musketeers and the deeds of Cardinal Richelieu in the New World are intertwined in this adventurous documentary narrative. As Andre Maurois wrote, “it is not enough to know a person’s temperament to understand his fate: temperament is just a canvas on which events and will embroider their patterns.” The plot of the final part of the book was the sharp diplomatic duel between Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte. Its result was an unexpected historical decision that the French emperor made while lying in a hot bath. An international deal between two geniuses of intrigue created a great continental state - the United States of America.