Raamatu autor elas pärast Austria okupeerimist Riias ja kirjeldab oma mälestustes Läti okupeerimist 1940. aastal.

««Baltic countdown» on pealtnägija tunnistus katastroofist, mis haaras iidse kultuuriga väikese rahva - rahva, mis oli saavutanud pärast tuhat aastat võõrvõimu iseseisvuse kahekümneks aastaks ainult selleks, et olla taas kord vallutatud nõukogude võimu poolt nii efektiivselt, et selle eksistents unustati peaaegu täielikult.»

In his Introduction Edward Crankshaw of the Observer writes, «I so welcome Mrs Benton's book. She was there in Riga when the Russians came - and during all the time their coming was being prepared. She knew about foreign occupations because she had lived through the Nazi invasion of Austria...
She writes simply and without pretence from her own experience and from what she learnt from her Baltic friends as well as from her official work as an analyst of the Russian press... It is not, however, a solemn book. It is full of diverting incident, not least the journey home - an escape really, all across Russia to Vladivostok, through the only gap in the German encirclement.»