Do we shape circumstances or are we shaped by them? A Broken Russia inside Me is a story of a writer born in a totalitarian world and a tale of forging an identity outside what was given.

At age 22, Molotkov makes the decision to emigrate and, with $343 in cash, must build a new life in the United States while the Soviet Union collapses and Russia is claimed by increasingly ominous leaders.

Molotkov deals with what it means to be from a place he is ashamed of and must eradicate within himself, while exploring the relationships that influenced his life and pondering how his choices affect his attitudes and social responsibilities.

Two women never meet, but their lives collide.

Ulrike is an East German immigrant and Stasi survivor who still struggles with the effects of the totalitarian regime on her psyche. Her husband Peter is one of the people who must pay the price.

Ruth is a California chemist with secrets in her family who just lost her father under mysterious circumstances and is witnessing her mother’s descent into alcoholism.

When Ulrike is gone, a hesitant friendship starts between Peter and Ruth. Or is it more than a friendship?

Follow these strong, opinionated women on their paths before and after a pivotal moment that bonds their lives forever, even beyond death.