Elena Zelinskaya. The last Russians were seen in Belgrade.

A randomly discovered diary brings the legacy of composer Alexei Butakov back to life—that's how Elena Zelinskaya's novel, "The Last Russians Seen in Belgrade," begins.

The endless Russian exodus brings the first wave of emigrants to the Balkans. They experience just a couple of decades of peaceful life between two catastrophes—from the Civil War to World War II. Every twist and turn confronts the novel's characters—musicians, writers, journalists—with a classic 20th-century conflict: how to remain human in the millstones of history. And each of them makes their own choice. What remains when all is lost? They had an answer.

A hundred years later, another wave washes new Russians onto Belgrade's shores. What mark will they leave on the history of this great city? Will they be able to find themselves and their place in a new life? How will they navigate their choice: between guilt and responsibility, loss and discovery? Those last Russians are gone. But every evening, the curtain rises at the Belgrade Opera and Ballet. The pearl threads glitter in the sun in the white city on the shores of Lake Ohrid. And the city streets bear Russian names. This is the end of their lives that history has placed. And our story is just beginning...