Part 1, 1906-1923, Chapters 5 & 6 Summary

In Chapter 5, Wladek attends school with his favorite sibling Florentyna as soon as he is old enough. Wladek learns quickly, and by age five is at the top of every subject in his class.

In 1911, Baron Rosnovski tells Jasio and Helena that his six-year-old son Leon needs competition. He is being reared by the Baron and his staff as his mother had died while giving birth to a second child. He asked if Wladek could leave the village school and join Leon to be tutored in the Baron's castle.

Jasio told the Baron he'd be honored to have his child live in the castle. The boy burst into tears and said he would not go without Florentyna. The Baron offered to take her along, too, to work in the kitchens. Both children reported to the castle the next morning...