Russian's celebrated Bolshoi Ballet was founded in 1776 and rose to become a point of pride for the empire after Napoleon's defeat in 1812. Two centuries later, in 2013, the artistic director of the ballet was the victim of an acid attack, organized by a lead soloist. Simon Morrison chronicles the Bolshoi throughout those intervening years, during which the theater has been bombed and dancers have endured excruciating physical torment while barely earning enough to support themselves—all while creating world-class art.