In this chapter, we meet the protagonist of the novel, the wolfgang. He tells us that he was once a colonel in the Russian army, and that his wife, zana, was once pregnant by a man. After giving birth, she lost her appetite and her sense of hope. She eventually gave birth to a baby boy, but the boy died before he could reach the top of the mountain. We learn that zana was born in Siberia, but that her mother died in childbirth. We also learn that the man who gave zana her mother's body was the same man who took zana to Siberia in the first place. The wolfgang tells the protagonist that things are getting more and more dangerous in the area, especially in the winter. He says that he wants to get revenge on his rival, Lord Johnrussell, who killed him in the previous chapter. The protagonist is excited about the upcoming expedition to the mountain, which he says will be the first time he's been on the mountain in a long time