In grief over her mother's death, twelve year-old Gina vows never to dance ballet again. She oddly feels a ghostly love and encouragement from her mother, Lily, to dance. Will Gina study to be a professional ballerina? Will she conquer the stage fright she has felt in the past? Gina leaves her childhood home to live with the only family left to care for her, Uncle Gene. Months before the breakup of Russia, he accepts a job at the American Consulate in Leningrad. Uncle and niece move to Leningrad, home of the famous Kirov Ballet Academy. As tensions rise in the city and Russia nearly breaks apart, Gina desperately tries to overcome stage fright. She tries to enjoy dancing once again with the help of her new friends. On the day that President Gorbachev is arrested, the city erupts in panic and Gina becomes lost in crowds of people. Will her uncle find her? Will she ever see her Russian friends again? Can she dance without their help?