Before you is the biography of Maya Plisetskaya, a woman of amazing, unique destiny, who became one of the symbols of the 20th century. A symbol of courage, perseverance and the desire for freedom. She proved herself to be a brilliant dancer - a performer of classical roles, then - one of the first in the Soviet Union to dance modern ballets, acted in films, worked as a model and even a fashion model. For more than half a century she has been the muse and wife of one of the most talented composers of our time - Rodion Shchedrin. Fashion designer Pierre Cardin was inspired by her work, poet Andrei Voznesensky dedicated poems to her, calling the ballerina a “hellish spark”; choreographer Maurice Bejart called her a “genius of metamorphosis”; artist Marc Chagall sketched Plisetskaya's ballet poses in order to later use her wild grace to create a masterpiece.