The book of the English journalist Thomas de Waal tells about the causes and course of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Tens of thousands of people died, more than a million left their homes, the economy of Azerbaijan and Armenia suffered colossal damage. The narrative was based on documents, personal observations and numerous interviews taken by the author from Armenians and Azerbaijanis - both from well-known politicians and ordinary people, free and unwitting participants in the bloody confrontation.