Leo's Atlas

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Buran programme, the Soviet counterpart to NASA's space shuttle during the Cold War, was abandoned. Twenty-five years later, a photographer discovered one of the five prototypes built, hidden in an abandoned hangar at the Russian launch site in Kazakhstan. The Buran that completed the programme's only orbital flight no longer exists, but nine-year-old Leo is convinced it was secretly hidden somewhere in Siberia, and that he will find it. Alongside Elizabeth, he scours satellite images, searching for traces of the craft from the French seaside where he spends his summer holidays. What they need is someone who can help locate lost objects. A Siberian tiger will guide them in the right direction. This treasure hunt blurs the boundaries between imagination and reality, its urgency standing in contrast to the long, slow summer days.