This book is one of the “pearls of samizdat”, as well as one of the most beloved and famous works in the Orthodox world, vividly and figuratively shows us the life of our fellow Christians in times of persecution and theomachism. The protagonist of the book, Priest Arseniy, not only retains faith and loyalty to Christ in the inhuman conditions of the Gulag, but also helps to gain faith for many, many of those around him, and, once free, feeds many of his spiritual children until his death.Rev. Seraphim of Sarov truly said: “Save yourself, and thousands around you will be saved!”