This is a work of historical fiction about two unlikely characters that meet during the seige of Leningrad in World War II. One is a young Jewish boy who had the misfortune of being the last one over the wall after he and his friends happened upon a dead paratrooper and decided to take some souvenirs. The other is an army deserter. Both are captured and imprisoned by the Russian army.  They are given a chance at freedom if they complete the impossible task of locating and returning with a dozen eggs for the wedding cake of the daughter of one of the Army colonels. Their journey is treacherous and nuggets of history are scattered in their trail.  The bond they form as a team is the result of the atrocities against the human condition that they encounter.  The impression left by these characters will be remembered well beyond the end of the book.