Far from the Danube is a portrait of an extraordinary woman who lives though the trauma of losing a father, surviving the battle of Nikopol and saving the life of a French Knight of the Hospital. Maria Iskra eventually leaves Bulgaria to follow her love for Gilles Guiton through the volatile states of Europe in the 14/15th century. It is a trip, during which Iskra and Gilles live through difficult and testing times. They avoid outside dangers and resolve inner turmoil by supporting and loving each other.
The final destination - Normandy in France brings further experiences of war, of family reunited, of envy, jealousy and another set of historical characters, brought to life with a bold brush. The battles with the English, the meeting with Henry the Vth, the stark choices open to the French landowners and the resistance in Mont Saint Michelle set out the background of a powerful portrait of Maria Iskra as a woman of beauty, character and intelligence, who manages to survive the difficult times of the era and to pass to her son the qualities needed to succeed in them..
This is a story, which will keep you gripped, moved and elated, a story of the pain of a displaced woman, who will never see her homeland again as the country does not exist any more, except in her heart and mind. Christopher Buxton creates with fines a wide screen of events, personalities and historical evidence, put together in a dramatic way.