In 1918, the nascent Russian Republic is fighting to retain power against domestic and foreign enemies.

In Moscow, Anna Sokolova is a young revolutionary who is working for the newly formed CHEKA state security agency to hunt down a British agent Sidney Reilly. At the same time, a young emissary of Wall Street William Arden sets sail from New York on a mission to Russia that is not what it appears to be, and the true purpose of which even he may not yet fully comprehend.

Their paths cross in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg), and they become unlikely allies. As they navigate the ravages of civil war and the rapidly turning political tide in Russia, Anna must decide the price she is willing to pay to preserve her ideals.

Meticulously researched and populated with many historical characters, Commissar explores the little-known period of US and British intervention in the Russian Civil War (1918-22).