Petersburg takes place over a short, turbulent period in 1905, offering a colorful evocation of Russia's capital. This novel is a kaleidoscope of images and impressions, an eastern window on the west, symbolizing the ambiguities and paradoxes of the Russian character.

History, culture, and politics are blended and juxtaposed; weather reports, current news, fashions, and psychology jostle together with people from Petersburg society in an exhilarating search for the identity of a city and, ultimately, Russia itself.