Zherebtsova was born and raised in Grozny. Her diaries cover childhood, adolescence and youth, which included three Chechen wars. Studying, falling in love for the first time, quarrels with parents - things that are familiar to any teenager - coexisted in Polina’s life with bombings, hunger, devastation and poverty. A girl with a Russian surname and wearing a headscarf tied in the Muslim style found herself between two fires. She saw death, fought for life and to remain herself. After leaving Grozny, Polina graduated from college and became a member of the Union of Journalists and the PEN Club. Currently lives in Finland.