The book, initiated by the Yegor Gaidar Foundation, features 14 extensive interviews with political figures who became the first leaders of the newly independent states after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Askar Akayev, Leonid Kravchuk, Vytautas Landsbergis, Stanislav Shushkevich, Mircea Snegur, Gennady Burbulis, Akezhan Kazhegeldin, Arnold Ruutel, Ivar Godmanis, Isa Gambar, Tengiz Sigua, Nazar Suyunov, Vazgen Manukyan, and Akbarsho Iskandarov share their versions of the events that radically changed the map of the world and the lives of millions of people.

Arkady Dubnov, a political scientist and expert on the countries of the former USSR, spoke with the leaders of the republics. For anyone interested in the political history of the 20th century.