Summer 2014. Crimea has been seized; death and destruction are running wild in eastern Ukraine. Michael Pugh has heard the rumble of dragons awakening, and despite the splendour of life as an expat lawyer in Moscow, decides it is time to go. With a love of Russia dating back to his student days, Michael chooses to leave the slow way: by horse.

Riding west through a bucolic Russian landscape of wildflower meadows to monasteries and historic battle sites is like riding back in time. Soon, Dog Friday joins Michael and they ride deeper into a vast wilderness, dotted with forgotten aristocratic estates meeting fascinating characters along the way.

There’s a change of pace in Belarus when Michael swaps his Kabardin steed Parliament for Marlboro, a stallion with a nose for adventure. Fire, dancing and song envelop him at the midsummer festival of Kupala. Riding on, he explores the vanished lives of the Poles and the Jews. Despite dark warnings about Ukraine, Michael finds a welcoming people, fiercely proud to defend their beautiful country from Russia. Finally, he navigates the complex legacy of Austria-Hungary in Romania. Throughout, his journey is lifted by the antics of horses, guides and stable girls; by the kindness of the strangers and friends and by the great quantities of delicious food and fiery moonshine.