In this chapter, we are introduced to a number of characters, each of whom has a special significance to the plot of the novel. For example, in the opening scene, we see a group of soldiers preparing for battle, and one of the soldiers tells the others that he has a message for them: he wants to convey to them that he is in love with a woman named Bareka. The soldier tells the other soldiers that he wishes to convey this message to Bareka, but that he cannot because he has to