Moving to Moscow from Chicago isn't easy, especially if your mother is the US ambassador. Derek must be well mannered and presentable_there are parties to go to and state dinner to attend. But Derek has decided to break all the rules and risk everything to reunite a beautiful Russian girl with her dissident father living in exile. That means traveling hundreds of miles by train to the Romanian border. With the help of some young Muscovite's, Derek begins a perilous journey. But he has a lot more to confront along the way than just the KGB. He must first face up to his mother and come to terms with the ghost of his dead father if he is ever going to succeed.