Nadia Cherneshevsky is a Russian engineer, and an expert on cold weather construction. She is a short, round, capable woman who is not excitable, and who thinks clearly and logically much of the time. On Mars, she finds herself one of the key point persons for construction, as many seek her knowledge and wisdom. She also finds herself constantly bombarded by Maya and her love problems. One day, after a long night with Maya, Nadia is in an accident, and her finger is cut off. She continues to be a beacon of knowledge, however. She finds herself falling in love with Arkady despite their differences in political beliefs. Nadia grows to believe that Mars should not be exploited, but that terraforming can be an acceptable practice. When Arkady is killed in the revolution, and it is clear that attacks are stemming from Phobos, Nadia uses the explosives Arkady hid in the moon to destroy it. She and the others find shelter from the revolution with Hiroko and the underground colony.