This book, first published in 1981, examines four of the greatest Russian poets, Anna Akhmatova, Osip Mandelstam, Boris Pasternak and Marina Tsvetayeva, their struggle to survive the Stalin years, and their dedication to their art despite considerable personal danger.

Part 1. Peace and War (1889-1921) 1. Motive for Murder 2. Torture by Happiness 3. Cloudburst of Light 4. My Craft Adrift 5. Black Velvet Part 2. Between Convulsions (1921-1930) 6. Herbs for Alien Tribe 7. Rebel in Head and Womb 8. Time's Great Dislocation 9. Loving and Lopping Part 3. Terror and Beyond (1930-1966) 10. Frolics and Pitfalls 11. Harder to Breathe 12. Doom's Black Whisper 13. All Change for Freedom Camp 14. Old Style, New Style 15. Two Voices Calling