Vladimir Tyaptushkin

By the middle of the 12th century, the borders of the Mongolian Empire stretched from the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas in the west to the southern lands of China in the east. The Mongolian army, under Khan Batu’s command, was known for its invisibility, destroying anyone who dared to challenge them. Yet, even within their central territories, some areas refused to bow to the Genghisids. Kozelsk was one of them. The Mongolian armies bypassed the high walls of this small town, considering that "the skin of the wolf was not worth the risk of encountering its teeth".However, one of the Khan’s commanders harbored a grudge against the town's citizens. Now, the people of Kozelsk must face a battle against the strongest army in the world, with no hope of victory. This is a story about people facing their death. Some try to escape, others are willing to do anything to survive, but most are prepared to protect their city from the relentless storms of the Mongolian hordes.

In a time after devastating wars, plagues, and natural disasters, the social order has collapsed, and new moral systems, beliefs, and forms of survival emerge. The story follows Ivan Morozov, who leaves his wife Katya to search for necessities, and meets Sergei Volkov, a mysterious companion. Together, they travel through haunting landscapes filled with forgotten villages, strange rituals, and mythological echoes, culminating in a profound and painful choice.

Young female fighter pilots arrive to the frontline. They have different stories and different fates. They are getting older, falling in love and lose their closest ones as well as take their place in the world of men. The air has become their home. However, at war no one knows whose fate is to live and who is doomed to die.

The year is 1941. Nazi Germany has declared war on the USSR and begins launching air assaults on Moscow and St. Petersburg. Stalin immediately orders a retaliatory air campaign under the code name “Wings over Berlin.” The closest entry point to Berlin from the USSR border was an airfield on the Estonian island Saaremaa in the Baltic Sea. It would be a 7-hour flight over enemy territory in outdated aircraft leaving no chance of survival for the tail crew members in case of attack. Despite overwhelming odds, the first units completed the mission and made it back to base safely, unlike many others that followed.

Katya Orlova and Lech Danilin met in a provincial Russian city and got married on the same day. He is an ordinary guy, and she is a refined "billionaire's daughter" who grew up in London and lost her parents in a car accident. Their relationship is a struggle of opposites.