Jack Matlock was the United States Ambassador to the USSR from 1987 to 1991. He met Mikhail Gorbachev many times, and besides, he knew his associates and enemies well. In June 1991, Matlock warned Gorbachev of a plot brewing against him, but was not heard. In his book, Matlock tells how the collapse of the Soviet empire occurred, what key events led to this, who is primarily responsible for this. Since the book was written when Matlock had already left public service, and the collapse of the USSR was a fait accompli, the author frankly speaks of many details of these events that were unknown to the general public.