The novel dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and covers events taking place on the eve of the First World War, as well as war and post-war times. Its main characters are factory workers and intellectuals, miners, politicians and aristocrats of Russia, Germany, England and the USA, whose destinies are intertwined in an intricate and unpredictable pattern. Before their eyes, the old world is collapsing and empires are perishing, and their lives contain epoch-making events, innumerable troubles, and quiet joys.