


In an attempt to earn her mother’s love, Meredith writes and performs a play based on the tale. The only thing that connects Meredith and Nina to their mother is the fairy tale she tells them about a peasant girl and a handsome prince that takes place in Leningrad, where Anya grew up. In fact, other than knowing their mother is Russian, everything about her is a mystery–the girls don’t even know how old she is.

Well, maybe hate is too strong a word, but Meredith and Nina believe she definitely doesn’t love them. Twelve-year-old Meredith Whitson and her sister, Nina don’t know what they did to make their mother, Anya, hate them.
