Summary

In the section "August," the Golosovsky sisters, Sophia and Alyona, watch the water at Petropavlovsk's city center, near the end of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Alyona warns her younger sister to be careful. Wishing she could hang out with friends instead, Alyona feels frustrated with Sophia's misbehavior. While their mother works, the two have had to find ways to occupy themselves throughout the summer. Alyona notices a man a distance away. Alyona begins telling Sophia a story about a tsunami to distract Sophia.

The sisters ready themselves to go home. They encounter the man Alyona had perceived earlier. He greets them in passing and asks for help, telling them he injured his ankle. They lead him to his car. He talks not unkindly as they walk, at the car offering them a ride home. Alyona considers, dreading the bus, and agrees. In the...