A Question of Return is a novel that spans generations and continents. Opening in Toronto, 1985, the story begins with émigré poet Artyom Laukhin, who has been working to transform his father Pavel's notebook into a publishable literary journal. Artyom's father was a popular Soviet novelist in 1930s Soviet Union, whose spy stories were enjoyed by Stalin himself. When Artyom falls madly in love with Audrey Millay, he begins to link his experiences pursuing her with the experiences detailed in his father's journal about Marina Tsvetayev, a tragic poet betrayed during the height of Stalinism. As the story progresses, the two narratives of Laukhin and Tsevtayeva begin to merge, and when Laukhin's affection for Audrey is finally reciprocated, the past encroaches with shattering effects.