"This is the story of a man and a girl whose paths cross when life turns its back on them; this is a novel about the unexpected places where one can find refuge. Alexei is forty years old and the headmaster of a school in a Ukrainian city. His wife has just left him, and his days follow the same unchanging pattern: at night he drinks until he passes out, and during the day he fights to hide his pain and misery at the school. From the window of his office he observes the students at playtime and starts to pay attention to a girl who is always alone. He soon learns that her father beats her, and she asks him for help and together they decide to stage their disappearance: Irina will spend the two years until she comes of age at Alexei's house." --From publisher's website