Lanzillotti's monograph traces the political, social, and demographic history of Kabardino-Balkaria (Eastern Circassia) from the tsarist invasion of the region in the 1760s through the post-Soviet period. The work examines how control over land, community structures, and state authority shifted across three centuries of occupation, paying particular attention to the mechanisms through which Russian imperial power was established and maintained. The book centers land disputes and resettlement policies as the organizing principle of regional history, demonstrating how territorial claims generated intercommunal conflict and shaped the boundaries between ethnic groups.

The most significant portions for genocide studies concern the early nineteenth century. Lanzillotti documents the catastrophic depopulation of Kabarda between 1800 and 1825, estimating population losses of 78–90 percent. General Aleksei Ermolov's campaigns (1818–1825) receive detailed treatment; Lanzillotti records the systematic destruction of villages, forcible resettlement of surviving populations, construction of military fortification lines to prevent escape and resource access, and scorched-earth tactics that deforested large areas.

The final chapters address the Soviet period, including the 1944–1966 deportation and forced reintegration of the Balkars, providing important context for understanding how Circassian and Balkar populations experienced successive waves of removal and state control. Throughout, Lanzillotti draws on Russian archival materials, contemporary military reports, and secondary sources to reconstruct the lived experience of occupation. The work is grounded in academic scholarship and offers detailed citations, making it valuable for source verification and further research.