A granddaughter of peasants who had become fabulously wealthy through an oil strike on their farm, Banine grew up in 'Oriental' splendor in Baku, Azerbaijani, when it was still part of the tsarist Russian Empire. The Russian Revolution of 1917 upended the family's life and they fled to Paris, where Banine became a writer.
Contents
Foreword by the translator -- Part one -- Part two -- Brief summary of the history of Azerbaijan at the start of the twentieth century -- Photographs of Banine and her family.