Super Short Summary

In The First Circle by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, post-World War II Moscow sees prisoner Lev Rubin among an elite group of scientists in a sharashka forced to identify state traitors for the Stalin regime. Tensions mount as the regime's corruption intensifies, leading Rubin and others to plan a revolt, which ends in their harsh punishment at Siberian gulags. The narrative highlights ethical dilemmas and systemic oppression. Contains themes of political persecution and torture.