Summary

Soviet Union, Ukraine, Village of Chervoy, 25 January, 1933 – Maria Antonovna has decided to die, for she is without love in her life and has no food, and knows that her cat must fend for itself. However, after Maria chews the leg of a stool, the cat does not want to come near her. Maria waits for night to open her door for her cat to run to safety, for she worries the other villagers will catch and eat the cat.

The cat is seen by Pavel, who hasn’t eaten meat in so long he cannot remember, and he decides to tell his mother, Oksana, about it. Oksana, at home, reflects on how Nikolai Ivanovich had attempted to steal from the State granary for the village, only to die on the way back by the roadside. Oksana has long kept small amounts of food hidden...