Though slavery is illegal in all countries and banned by international law, there are an estimated 40 million slaves in the world today. A significant percentage of people trafficked into modern slavery come from Russia and the post-Soviet countries. This book uses interviews and first-person testimonials to illuminate the stories of millions of Eastern Europeans who were trapped and trafficked since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It includes accounts of labor exploitation, sexual slavery, and human organ trafficking in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Transnistria.

This volume intertwines three narratives: men and women who survived human trafficking and enslavement in Eastern Europe, the service providers who rescued and rehabilitated them, and the author's own story of becoming an anti-trafficking activist. These interviews, told in the words of those who witnessed and experienced modern slavery, deepen our understanding of the historical context and evolution of human trafficking. The stories in this book give human expression to one of the most pressing legal, economic, and human rights issues of our time.