Masha Sputnikova (Russian: Маша Спутникова; born 4 January 1975) is a would-be mail order bride from Irkutsk, Russia. Sputnikova, better known as just Masha, grew up in a Soviet Siberian village and longed for the glitz and glamour of city life. Masha's father died of potato poisoning when she was 5, and she always longed for a father figure. During perestroika her wild side took over. She travelled six hours by train when she was 15 to see her favorite girl band, Комбинация, perform live in Irkutsk. She doesn't remember much, but she woke in her future first husband's flat, missing her shoes and prized hairband.

She had her first child shortly thereafter, but the relationship was short lived. She did manage to get a job at the butcher shop which afforded her the city residence she had always dreamed of. It wasn't the Golden Ring of Moscow, but Irkutsk had its pluses. When she was 25 she had an affair with a married government official and bore her second child out of wedlock. With two children and no father in the picture she had a lot on her hands.

Masha's friend and neighbor Alona recommended she try to meet a Western man on the internet after a long period of unsuccessful dating. She took the internet cafes around town 15 rubles at a time, trolling cyberspace for wedded bliss and financial security, and the story began...