Yuri grows up in a country where no freedom of thought is encouraged - where he is told what to cheer for and who to believe in, where even the neighbours are encouraged to report any dissension to the authorities.

But it is still a shock when a few careless words lead him to a virtual death-sentence - sent on a nightmare journey to a northern camp amid the frozen wastes. What, or who, can he possibly believe in now? Can he even survive? And is escape possible . . . ?