Leningrad.  WWII.  A city under siege during  the worst winter in its history.  Two  men -- a naive Jewish teenager arrested for looting and a  wordly lothario in the Red Army arrested for desertion -- are slated for execution, but are given a reprieve if they can locate a dozen eggs for the commanding officer's daughter's wedding cake.  What follows is an odyssey of a budding friendship as these two mismatched men navigate the dangers of a world gone mad.  Cinematic in its scope, and by turns hilarious and horrific, this is a must read.