A drama of passion and privation unfolds in this extraordinary novel acclaimedat once for its gemlike prose and its hypnotic intensity. A scientist a loverof li... » 

A drama of passion and privation unfolds in this extraordinary novel acclaimedat once for its gemlike prose and its hypnotic intensity. A scientist a loverof life a man of powerful sensual appetites unexpectedly finds himself testedin the crucible of history. In a city under siege nearly wrung of life andhope he is faced with a lifeordeath choicean occasion for him to betray notonly the woman he loves but also the principles he holds most dear. «