The child of Communist war-hero parents under Tito’s regime in postwar Yugoslavia, Marina Abramović was raised with a relentless work ethic. Even as she was beginning to build an international artistic career, Marina lived at home under her mother’s abusive control. But nothing could quell her insatiable curiosity, her desire to connect with people, or her distinctly Balkan sense of humor --- all of which informs her art and her life. The beating heart of this memoir is an operatic love story --- a 12-year collaboration with fellow performance artist Ulay, a relationship that began to unravel and came to a dramatic end atop the Great Wall of China.