Recalling his experiences during the siege of Leningrad, an old man tells a riveting story, the odyssey of two teenagers on an impossible mission. Charged to find a dozen eggs for a powerful colonel, they begin a search through the lawless, devastated countryside – and they see what it means to survive. An American Library Association Notable book. "Splendid... unfolds like a crazy and vivid dream... funny, sad, and thrilling."—Entertainment Weekly