Susan Sherman's first book is about the growth of Berta, a working class Jewish girl, who is sent from Little Russia (The Ukraine) to Moscow to be a companion for a rich relative. After becoming snobbish and self-possessed from living in a wealthy house, Berta is sent home to Mosny to the reality of her parent's station in life. After suffering her comedown for a year , she marries Hershel, a wealthy merchant, and returns to a life of affluence and prestige. Near the beginning of the war, Hershel, who smuggles guns to help Jews defend themselves from pogroms is forced to flee to safety. He went to America, but Berta refused to go and stayed with their children. The loss of her husband's income, the advent of World War I, an increase in persecution of Jews and the Communist Revolution wiped out her wealth and forced her to become a survivor who lived hand to mouth by her wits. The final chapters relate her efforts to cross the border to Poland and try to find her husband. For much of the novel Berta is not a likeable character but circumstance transforms her. I generally like historical novels, and this book is not an exception.