Ivan Astashin is a former political prisoner, the first defendant in a long chain of cases fabricated by the security services and classified as terrorism. In 2009, Ivan and his comrades participated in an anti-FSB protest on "Chekist Day"—an arson attack on the FSB office for Moscow's Southwestern District. By court order, Ivan served nine years and nine months in prison, most of which was spent in high-security camps in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

"Journey" is a crucial document of the era, testifying to the contemporary Russian prison reality, which in many ways serves as a manifestation of the repressive structure of life in Russia. Ivan carefully examines and documents prison life, describing the diverse forms of prison life in a wide variety of living conditions, which he personally observed and experienced.

Much of the book speaks to the continuous recurrence of prison violence, which permeates all levels of the penal system. And yet, behind all the horrors of prison life, Ivan's text offers a powerful, life-affirming message: words about brotherhood and mutual assistance, solidarity between prisoners and the possibility of resistance to violence, the ability to find joy in simple things and to be free, even if only for a short time, in the unfree prison world.