White Steppes

Early 20th century. Young Zuhra, raised by her father in reverence for God, respect for elders, and the protection of the weak, marries her neighbor Shakir, whom she had loved since childhood.

A shy, pure happiness for the young family is first tried to destroy by another friend of their childhood games, Akhat, who is hopelessly in love with Zuhra. And then comes the Civil War, as a result of which Shakir disappears without a trace.

Zuhra faces hunger, betrayal, and the loss of loved ones, the shattering of her former beliefs, repression, and the Great Patriotic War. Yet until the end of her days, she keeps faith in the White Steppes—a place where only happy people live… a place where there are no wars, enmity, or quarrels—only love, acceptance, and justice.

Salima was born later, in a more peaceful and less тревожний time, when it already seems that a person is free to choose their fate—where to live, who to love, with whom and how to build a family. But her chosen one, Islam, can’t choose between her and a rival who didn’t receive his strict mother’s approval, yet has firmly settled in his heart…

The path of Zuhra and Salima offers a chance to reflect on the life story of ordinary people against the backdrop of the great events that unfolded in Russia during the 20th century.

Valery Mikhailovsky about the novel “White Steppes”: “The most important thing in the novel is the attitude toward history. Not preachy, not imposed by well-known techniques, not intrusive—but simply described through the story of a family. The author insists on no one’s rightness, takes no one’s side, because everyone suffered equally.”