The novel's story begins in 1940, centering on Soviet citizen Serafima, who lives in a small village outside Moscow. She hunts deer together with her mother, and enjoys her friendship with her childhood friend Mikhail. When the Germans invade the Soviet Union, her village is caught up in the offensive, with all her friends and family dying or missing as a result. Saved only by a Red Army force, Serafima joins the Red Army and trains as a scout sniper in an all-female unit of snipers, swearing vengeance on her enemies.
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