Many came to France's glittering capital, Paris.

Former princes drove taxicabs, while their wives found work in the fashion houses. Intellectuals, artists, poets, philosophers, and writers eked out a living at menial jobs; some found success until the economic downturn of the 1930s hit. In exile, White Russians sought to overthrow the Bolshevik regime from afar, and double agents plotted from both sides.

Many Russians became trapped in a cycle of poverty and their all-consuming homesickness. This is their story.