Returning to an overlooked region on the edge of Russia, Howard Amos sets out on a quest to understand the country he once called home.

 On Russia's European borderlands, people live their lives among the ruins of successive empires. Pskov, an old Slavic land of forgotten stories and faded waysides, has weathered the tides of history. 

Once a thriving nexus of trade and cultural exchange, today it is one of the poorest and most rapidly depopulating places of this vast nation. To understand the darkness that has captured Russia, Howard Amos journeys through a landscape of small towns, re-wilding fields and dilapidated churches.


"This timely book is a fascinating and personal journey through the tragedy of post-Soviet Russia; wise, perceptive and humane." Catherine Merridale, author of 'Red Fortress: The Secret Heart of Russia's History'.