"Rachel is the cherished daughter of a Russian family living in London, Zachariah is her parent's adopted son who arrived from the orphanage with one sweater, a head of curls and a dexterous set of fists. As children, they became as close as two people can be. But when, as adults, their relationship crosses a new line, there is no going back. Coping with their father's furious rebuttal of Zach, Rachel sets herself the task of inventing a family history for her orphaned beloved. And so she brings to life his imagined ancestry - from a tavern-educated boxer in Dickensian times, to a Hussar at the Battle of Borodino during the Napoleonic Wars - even as their troubles in present-day Camden Town build to yet another point of no return."--Provided by the publisher.