Knight Without Armour

As the Russian Revolution dismantles the tsarist state, a British spy is cut off behind enemy lines. His objective shifts from espionage to survival when he takes on the protection of a Russian countess fleeing the Bolsheviks. Together, they navigate a collapsing empire where aristocrats are hunted and every railway checkpoint holds the threat of a firing squad.

Moving through a landscape stripped of its old laws, they rely on forged papers and stolen transport to reach the border. The Englishman, trained to gather intelligence from the shadows, is forced into the open to keep them both alive in the crossfire of the Red and White armies.

Published in 1933, James Hilton’s thriller preceded his massive commercial success with *Lost Horizon* and *Goodbye, Mr. Chips*. It was later adapted into a 1937 film starring Marlene Dietrich and Robert Donat.