The Soviet Union ceased to exist on New Year’s Eve, 1991. The new country, called the Russian Federation, was set to embrace democracy and a market economy. The problem was that no one had any idea how to transform the world’s largest country into a free market state. And, what’s more, there was no historical precedent for this. What ensued was severe economic chaos. Essential items for everyday life were unavailable in traditional retail stores. The entire system of distributing goods around the country had disintegrated. Russia’s GDP fell by 50% between 1992 and 1998. This was worse than what Americans went through during the Great Depression.

Julia steps into this world like a babe in the woods. She meets the family she’ll be staying with: Nina, Nina’s mother Anna, and Nina’s 4 children.