Mikhail Bulgakov's masterpiece, The Master and Margarita, is a dazzlingly original and fiercely satirical novel. The story unfolds in 1930s Moscow, where the devil, disguised as the enigmatic Professor Woland, arrives with his bizarre retinue. Their surreal and chaotic antics expose the greed, corruption, and cowardice of the city's literary and bureaucratic elite. Interwoven with this darkly comic narrative is the Master's own novel about Pontius Pilate and the crucifixion of Jesus, and the passionate, redemptive love story of the Master and his devoted Margarita, who makes a pact with the devil to save him.