As a teenager during World War II, author Lilija "Lita" Zarina's idyllic life of perfumed soaps, shelves full of books, and carefree parties explodes into irretrievable pieces after a Soviet bomb strikes her family's property in Latvia. The Russian army demands the surrender of passports, radios, and typewriters, destroys books, and changes the local language and street signs. Independent thinking is discouraged and success is guaranteed for those who denounce God, family, and country to serve the Communist Party. Separated from her parents, Lita studies medicine at the University of Latvia and dreams of the day she can afford a decent meal. She earns a doctorate of medicine in 1950, but even a doctor's monthly salary is not enough to buy a substandard pair of shoes. Lita's trusting nature leads her into a bad marriage and makes her easy prey for a handsome but highly unscrupulous man. Ultimately, chance meetings, unlikely alliances, and unexpected developments come together to facilitate her escape from the suffocating red fog of communism.
A cautionary tale for anyone who cherishes freedom, "The Red Fog" is a memoir of one woman's life behind the Iron Curtain that explores how political oppression dehumanizes people, while fear renders them silent and helpless.