"Marvelous and Illuminating. . . . Forces us to reassess our notions of good and evil." Irvine Welsh"

In a contested, lawless
region between Moldova and Ukraine known as Transnistria, a tightly knit group
of "honest criminals" live according to strict codes of ritualized respect and
fierce loyalty. In a voice utterly compelling and unforgettable, Nicolai Lilin,
born and raised within this exotic subculture, tells the story of his moral
education outside the bounds of "society" as we know it, where men uphold
values with passion-and often by brute force.