The 1979 Iranian Revolution brought Islamists to power, dashed generations of hope for democracy, and forever changed the course of history throughout the region. At a crucial moment, Iran's leftist revolutionary forces, secretly led by the Kremlin, proved too far from claiming power.

The book by Mikhail Krutikhin, a journalist and analyst who worked in Iran for many years and is now recognized in Russia as a "foreign agent," is not only a historical study, but also a lesson in how ideology can manipulate people and events. Based on personal experience and rich historical material, the author tells how communist ideology served for years only as a cover for power and influence games.