Elena Kryukova’s new novel contains ten stories, each of which is imbued with a love of life and the expectation of a miracle. One of the chapters is devoted to the fate of a Russian princess who survived the horror of the camps, emigrated to Paris, but returned to her homeland to die. In Russia, the princess faces a test: her companion becomes a dashing provincial girl who has come to conquer the capital... Kryukova conveys the subtlest nuances of human relationships, showing how paradoxical ways people sometimes come to mutual understanding and happiness.