Russian dissident Elena Bonner recounts the hardships she suffered growing up in the Soviet Union, which served as inspiration for her activism. Despite the democratic advances made in her country after the fall of the Soviet Union, Bonner believes that Russia today,under the rule of Vladimir Putin, shares many similarities with the previous dictatorship. Bonner also shares her concerns that in recent years many human rights conferences and awards have been diluted and co-opted by other interests, especially in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She expresses her hope that human rights activists will uphold the same ethical principles that they apply to their work around the world when addressing rights abuses in Israel.