It is January 1942. Leningrad, nicknamed 'Piter', is under siege and its people are starving. 17-year-old Lev Beniov has remained in his beloved city, determined to help defend it even though he is too young to join the army. One night, while he and his friends guard the roofs of their apartment block, they see the body of a German parachutist fall from the sky. Abandoning their posts, they run to find it, helping themselves to the dead man's possessions, including a knife. A few minutes later, Lev is caught and arrested for looting, but his friends manage to escape.
Lev is surprised that he is not immediately executed. In his prison cell, he is joined by Kolya, a handsome, charming and talkative soldier who has been arrested for desertion - something he fiercely denies. The next morning Lev and Kolya are taken to Colonel Grechko of the NKVD, who offers them a bizarre 'gift': his daughter is about to be married; if Lev and Kolya can find a dozen eggs for the wedding cake by the following Thursday, they will walk free. "City of Thieves" by David Benioff follows these young men as they embark on a journey to achieve the impossible. This study guide for "City of Thieves" includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis, analysis of major characters, themes/motifs/symbols, top 10 quotes, and discussion questions.
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