"Anton privitch," the narrator tells us, was born in Russia on December 5, 1919. He joined the Russian infantry on his eighteenth birthday. He married Ilona on August 12, 1944. He says that if he can remember everything about his life, it means that he is in his right mind. He wants to see Colonel Goryagin, but he can't get him to answer his questions. Anton wants to take his son to his meeting with the colonel. He asks if the baby is real, and if it was the nightmare he had the first time he saw it. This time, he keeps going into the woods, and he sees what's going on on the opposite side of the world. On the other side, he blames himself for the baby's death. He tries to forget her, but she blames him for everything. She even cut off her finger when she couldn't find her wedding ring. She thinks she's crazy, but it's really just trying to help her family.