A young American woman, Alexandra Boyd, travels to Sofia, Bulgaria, hoping that life abroad will heal the wounds caused by the loss of her beloved brother. Shortly after her arrival in this mysterious city in Eastern Europe, she helps an elderly couple get into a taxi and realizes, too late, that she has mistakenly taken one of their suitcases. Inside the bag, she finds an intricately carved wooden box, engraved with a name: Stoyan Lazarov. Opening the lid, she discovers that it contains an urn filled with human ashes. In her attempt to locate the family and return the precious object, Alexandra will find herself in the footsteps of a talented musician, whose life was sealed by political oppression. Soon she will realize that this revelation hides many dangers for her own life.

From the author of the bestseller "The Historian" comes a poignant novel set in the present and the past - and reveals the dark secrets of Bulgaria, a beautiful and turbulent country.