It is Marina who exposes Alik Strelnikov to his past.  She does this by telling him tales and using her home made tarot cards as a narration device. It is with these Tarot cards that she takes basics archetypes to show Alik and her's relationship throughout history.  The basic archetype in which Marina and Alik is tied together is betrayal and their star-crossed lovers relationship.  Alik is meant to betray his country while Marina is meant to betray him.
 
In her 2009 embodiment she is a scam artist fortuneteller and a whore on the side.