1980年代的蘇聯時期，好朋友Anya和Milka試圖創造一個自由而快樂的未來，他們在莫斯科郊外的別墅度過夏天，在蘋果園裡懶洋洋地躺著，聽著皇后樂團的歌，幻想著出國旅行和體驗美國青少年的生活，與此同時，Anya的父母談論著二戰、封鎖以及他們所承受的艱辛。 Anya和Milka十五歲時，蘇聯帝國正處於崩潰的邊緣，他們與同學Trifonov和Lopatin相識，四個朋友分享秘密和慾望、爭論歷史政治、討論禁書。但是世界在變，他們相聚的短暫時光被一場突如其來的悲劇打斷了。 多年後，Anya從美國回到俄羅斯，在那裡她選擇了一種不同的生活，遠離她的家人和兒時朋友，當她再次遇到Lopatin時，他是一個自鳴得意的商人，想買下她父母的別墅，砍掉蘋果園。Anya被她年輕時的往事所困擾，她意識到記憶不會淡去或消失。相反，它讓我們跨越時間，將過去與未來聯繫起來，將歡樂與悲傷聯繫起來。 受到安東·契訶夫的《櫻桃園》的啟發，本書作者有力地捕捉了四名即將失去自己國家的蘇聯年輕人的生活，他們為生存而奮鬥，挽救他們的友誼和失去的事物。Four teenagers grow inseparable in the last days of the Soviet Union—but not all of them will live to see the new world arrive in this powerful debut novel, loosely based on Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Coming of age in the USSR in the 1980s, best friends Anya and Milka try to envision a free and joyful future for themselves. They spend their summers at Anya’s dacha just outside of Moscow, lazing in the apple orchard, listening to Queen songs, and fantasizing about trips abroad and the lives of American teenagers. Meanwhile, Anya’s parents talk about World War II, the Blockade, and the hardships they have endured. By the time Anya and Milka are fifteen, the Soviet Empire is on the verge of collapse. They pair up with classmates Trifonov and Lopatin, and the four friends share secrets and desires, argue about history and politics, and discuss forbidden books. But the world is changing, and the fleeting time they have together is cut short by a sudden tragedy.