ApieceofmusicstartsastorywhichwillrangeacrossSovietRussia,McCarthyiteHollywoodandpost-9/11NewYork,asthemysteryofthelivesoftwogaycomposersisuncovered.Whowrotethemusic?Howdidthetwocomposers'livescometocross?Whatpressurescausedtheiractions?Whataretheconsequencesforthosearoundthem?Intheimmediateaftermathof9/11,amanarrivesinNewYorktoclaimthatthethemetuneofapopulartvseries,saidtobewrittenbycomposerSolConrad,infactbelongshisgrandfatherSergey,aneminentRussiancomposerwhowassenttothegulagbyStalin,andfromwhomSolstolethescore.Conrad'syoungPANatalieisdeterminedtodefendherelderlyemployer,butasshedigsdeepershediscoversworldsofwhichshebarelyknew-Russianlabourcamps,McCarthyism,repressivegovernments,andtheplightofhomosexualsintheUSAandUSSRduringthetwentiethcentury.Natalie,SolandSergeeachtelltheirstories,rangingacrosscontinentsanddecades.ASimpleScalemovesforwardthroughtheirnarrativesoflove,death,deceit,theCIA,theNKVD,atomicbombs,classicalmusicandHollywood.Inadramaticconclusiontheirpastsandpresentscatchupwiththem,asthesecrecy,manipulationandbetrayalthatwerethecentreofSolandSergey'slivesinformafewweeksof2001,whenhistoryisabouttorepeatitself.Richindetailandatmosphere,DavidLlewellynexploresthepointsatwhichthepersonalandthepoliticalmeet.Throughout,hisdepictionof30sLeningrad,50sCaliforniaandpost-9/11NewYorkisonlytoobelievable.