From the back cover:

December 10, 1931:

Russia spasms in the throes of the man-made horror of the Collectivization drive. The twilight skies over the southwest are unexpectedly illuminated by a fantastic meteor shower, the most vivid in living memory. Caught between the power of the State and creatures beyond comprehension lie the unfortunate residents of the area near Machine Tractor Station Kharkov-37.