Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside with her dying mother; there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in Saint Petersburg – a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena's age. When the two girls' lives collide, an adventure is set in motion, an escapade that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and Baba Yaga – witch of Russian folklore. In this tour de force, master storyteller Gregory Maguire offers a dazzling novel for fantasy lovers of all ages.