Sture Stiernlof 
Border of Fire, Border of Ice 

Border of Fire — Border of Ice is a romantic thriller set in Europe during the Cold War. Lena, a young violinist from the Soviet Union, meets Leo, a writer from the West, in East Berlin. An intense and erotic love affair begins, and Leo is gradually drawn into Lena’s highly dangerous plan to defect to the West with her brother and two friends across the death strip separating East and West Germany. The escape fails dramatically, and Leo and Lena seem to have lost each other forever. But later, in Leningrad, Lena develops a new, bold plan: To escape across the desolate wilderness border between Finland and Russia on skis in midwinter. However, first Lena must work at a kolkhoz on the Kola peninsula north of the Arctic Circle. It is a godforsaken, cold and dirty place, and she meets hostility, hardship and brutality. The dramatic escape takes place on New Year’s Eve. Militia checkpoints, border patrols, wolf packs, Soviet elite forces and brutally cold weather are a constant deadly threat in the dark, empty, ice-cold wilderness. Border of Fire — Border of Ice is the story of a brave, warm-hearted woman and her unflinching resolution to overcome all obstacles and find freedom and love. It is an exciting, captivating, feel-good story.