Tatiana fell in love with her Red Army officer, Alexander Belov, in wartime Leningrad in 1941. Despite the horrifying events which surrounded their lives, the two managed to keep their love alive.

Now that the war is over, Alexander has joined Tatiana and their son, Anthony, in the United States, but as with all victims of traumatic situations, part of him still remains in the gulag Tatiana rescued him from, unable to move forward and unable to allow himself to live after seeing, and causing, so much death and destruction.

But Tatiana is a fierce one and refuses to give up on Alexander, and their chance to be happy so easily. They travel all over; searching for a place they can call home, and perhaps bring Alexander to a place of healing.

They find a haven in Arizona, on a parcel of land Tatiana buys with the money Alexander's mother hoarded after his zealot father hauled his family to the Soviet Union during the pre-war years. But would the family ever truly find lasting peace, or would the ghosts of their past continue to haunt them to the very end?

THE SUMMER GARDEN is the thrilling final volume of Paullina Simon's thrilling trilogy, and what a wonderful conclusion it is. A ballet of words, this novel is beautifully written. Although the story is heart-wrenching and agonizing in part, as Alexander fights to hold onto his sanity, Simons tempers the tale with the warmth and ferocity of Tatiana's love. While this is book three of the series, which includes The Bronze Horseman and Tatiana and Alexander, readers will be able to pick up enough of the previous stories to enjoy this one as well.