When Barbara Davies was sent to Russia on a newspaper assignment, she met Lieutenant Valinsky and her world was turned upside down. Fascinated by the harsh simplicity of his day-to-day existence in a freezing Russian winter, she embarked on a whirlwind, passionate affair with him, determined to turn her back on her old life forever. But Barbara soon had to confront the stark differences between their two worlds, and ask herself whether their lives could ever come together to give her what she desired the most. Sensual and uplifting, this frank memoir reflects on the complexities of love and how one chance meeting can change everything.