"In fact, when I began writing the book, I had only been in Russia for a total of 10 days and had never spent the night in the Metropol Hotel. But once I finished the first draft, I flew to Russia ...

Four years after the 1917 Russian Revolution ... Rostov was placed on house arrest by the Leninist Party in the Metropol hotel. Rostov still makes a point to get dressed every morning in period ...