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Petr Shelest holds a special place in the political history of twentieth-century Ukraine. After a difficult life, he became the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine in 1963. He supported Nikita Khrushchev and his political line, but was among those who brought Leonid Brezhnev to power.

Opposed the Prague Spring of 1968 and at the same time blocked the total suppression of dissent in Ukraine. He recognised Stalin's authority and at the same time demanded that the Moscow leadership adhere to the officially declared principles in relations between the centre and the then Soviet republics. He was against the dismantling of the USSR and at the same time contributed to the strengthening of Ukrainian national traditions and respect for Ukraine's past.

What is the secret of Petro Shelest's duality? Who and how did he create the image of an "excessive" Ukrainian patriot and even a "nationalist"? What was his fate after he was sent to Moscow for a "promotion" and then subjected to political and ideological ostracism?

The author of this book, written using unique and previously inaccessible archival sources, seeks to find answers to these and other questions.