The book, The Year of the Lord, describes about a year of the boy's, Ivan Shmelev's, childhood in Moscow. His father was a carpenter/contractor, with a large construction crew that were involved in many projects around Moscow, including the original Christ the Savior Cathedral. In addition, his father was the church warden in their local Kazan Icon Church. It describes how the family's life and work were completely intertwined with the church calendar, and how it was incorporated into daily life. It describes a time that has been lost forever.