what is the book about?

Misha Semyonov, an elderly Russian immigrant living in the Chicago area, tells the story of his life to his granddaughter, Kate. When he was fourteen, his name was Leonid (Leonka) Sednyov, and he was the kitchen boy to Tsar Nicholas II and his family during their captivity in the House of Special Purpose in Yekaterinburg. He claims to be the only living witness to their murders at the hands of the Bolsheviks in 1918, and to know what happened to the two children of Tsar Nicholas whose bodies are missing.

With the help of two nuns from the local convent, Leonka helps to smuggle notes, which supposedly come from a group of Russian officers who want to rescue them, to the tsar and his family. He also observes the family's lives during these last days before the murders, and records his memories for his granddaughter. Please see the link below from where this excerpt was taken from.