A short story about life in the chaos and uncertainty of post-Communist Russia. Nina Ribakova is worried about her son Ivan, who is undergoing an operation. She reflects on her relationship with her stern, unbending father and jokey, easy-going brother, and befriends a young cashier called Nastia who is having problems with her young sister.
Added bonus of a recipe, a song and two pictures of Volgograd to illustrate the location of the story.