Russia, 1980s to the present: A country that opened up has closed itself off again. A society that embarked on a journey toward emancipation, freedom, and self-discovery now suffers from paternalism and repression. How did it come to this? This question has not left bestselling author Masha Gessen, and it captivates readers as well. At the center are four individuals from the 1984 generation. They started school as the Soviet Union was collapsing and grew up under President Putin. Young people from different social and family backgrounds: for example, Zhanna, whose father Boris Nemtsov, a prominent reformer, was shot in the middle of Moscow. Or Ljoscha, who loses his position as a gay lecturer at Perm University. The grand narrative of the young people's aspirations and failed hopes is complemented by the educational stories of the liberal.