Vasilisa was raised by her grandfather to be a knower, a kind of wise woman. When her fiancé unexpectedly dies by suicide — being buried in unhallowed ground as a result — she crosses the line from theoretical knowledge to practise, and steps into Hell to become a koldun, a witch. Legend states if she breaks all seven seals on her mentor's black book, her wish to retrieve her betrothed from Hell will be granted. And that’s how Black Book begins: on one of the worst days of Vasilisa’s life.
Black Book review: plays its Russian folklore cards right
