WINNER OF THE BIG BOOK AWARD, THE YASNAYA POLYANA AWARD & THE READ RUSSIA AWARD ANEW STATESMAN¿BOOK OF THE YEAR 2016 Fifteenth-century Russia It is a time of plague and pestilence, and a young healer, skilled in the art of herbs and remedies, finds himself overcome with grief and guilt when he fails to save the one he holds closest to his heart. Leaving behind his village, his possessions and his name, he sets out on a quest for redemption, penniless and alone. But this is no ordinary journey: wandering across plague- ridden Europe, offering his healing powers to all in need, he travels through ages