A history of a forgotten kingdom from which nations were born. In his signature style, Norman Davies presents the fate of the lands of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where the modern nations of Central and Eastern Europe took root and where diverse religious communities coexisted for centuries. This is a story of the myth and legend of Galicia, told not only through the lens of great historical events but also through the eyes of ordinary people who lived there.

It was in Galicia, during the time of the partitions, that Polish identity endured and the idea of a Ukrainian nation began to take shape. Here, the destinies of the Habsburgs and the Potockis intertwined. On a single street, one could hear Polish, German, Yiddish, and Ruthenian spoken.

Davies does not weave an idyllic tale. His Galicia is bittersweet.