Hugh Walpole plunges us into the opulent, yet increasingly precarious, world of pre-revolutionary Petrograd, seen through the eyes of English visitor John Durward. As Durward reconnects with a circle of English expatriates and a Russian bourgeois family—the vivacious sisters Vera and Nina, their eccentric inventor friend Nicolai, and the menacing Dr. Semyonov—he becomes an intimate observer of their intricate loves, petty squabbles, and profound vulnerabilities. Their lamp-lit drawing-room dramas unfold against a backdrop of chilling tranquility, a 'secret city' of privilege oblivious to the storm gathering beyond its elegant facades.
