DIASPORA tells the epic tale of the Vostevskie family through eight generations, forced migration, violent uprisings, and the ravages of world war. Interwoven through the family's expansive story are the extraordinary lives of peasant farmers, seamen, soldiers, and the laborers of port cities along the way. Following the destructiveness of the twentieth century, one surviving descendant of the family is forced to distill from myth and reality the deeper truths of their ancestry. The remaining Vostevskies, and the reader, must confront whether the stories we tell ourselves are only as firm - or as illusory - as we wish them to be.