The Richest Soil. The Best Harvest. The Biggest Lie. The Best Kept Secret. Millions Perished.

Ukrainian Canadians recount the horrors of living through the Ukrainian famine genocide - the Holodomor - which was engineered by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in 1932-33. Millions of people died, a third of them children, as brigades forcibly confiscated all livestock, grain and food. The world was deceived by Soviet propaganda and the borders were closed. Anyone opposing collectivization or seeking to escape was imprisoned or shot. Fearing for their lives, Ukrainians couldn't speak about this atrocity until 1991 when Ukraine gained independence. The consequences of this genocide continue to reverberate today as Ukraine struggles to become a true democracy. Rare archival footage, a historical overview and original illustrations complement the interviews.—Anonymous