Holding love in the balance is hard enough.

What happens to the most profound relationships when historical events shatter the world and your place in it?

This sweeping, historically-accurate novel tells the story of people caught in the momentous upheavals of World War II, their destinies driven by the force of their characters and the courage of a Japanese diplomat.

Set in the period from 1918 to 1945, Rachel and Aleks juxtaposes the impact of historical and political events on individual lives, on friendship, family ties and love.

Against the backdrop of London, Moscow, Japan and America, consumed by her opposing desires to be independent yet be taken care of by a man, Rachel must find her own answer to Freud's famous question: What do women want?