Swinging down from Moscow's skyline, the sandblasters are in town. Their job is to beautify this proud city after decades of stagnation. For the past three months, champion Soviet climber turned cleaner, Andrei Isupkov, has been earning three times his normal salary. City Mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, is the man responsible for making this all happen. Acutely aware of imminent deadlines, he berates workers for delays and strongly denies corruption or wasting resources in order to achieve his goals. The homeless have been conveniently rounded up and expelled before the birthday party. But despite the poverty, Russia's capital is still a magnate for the provinces. Nineteen year old Natalia has left the wintry wastelands of Siberia to seek her fortune. Winning second prize in a national modelling competition she dreams of joining Moscow's new middle classes. Twenty years a Jewish emigre, businessman Michael Krel returned after the demise of communism to join the economic revolution. "It's the biggest market in the world," he claims.

Produced by ABC Australia