1848. In Ottoman-occupied Montenegro, young doctor Vanko Winczlav is
one of the leaders of a popular uprising. Betrayed, wanted by the
authorities, he flees the Balkans for the United States in the
company of a Bulgarian refugee, Veska, whom he marries to allow her
to enter New York legally. So begins the history of a family closely
entwined with that of a still new country going through many
transformations.
Belarus, in Soviet times. Irina is an unremarkable young woman growing up in an orphanage. One night, a mysterious visitor demands to see her and her best friend Julia. The latter goes first, then Irina is told she won't be needed after all. The next day, Julia has vanished without a trace... Thus begins a quest for truth and vengeance, from Minsk to Moscow to Washington - one that will lead Irina to discover her true calling.