Summary

When the story begins, a young man walks into the office of Savitsky, the commander of the Sixth Division, with orders assigning him to divisional staff. When the young man enters, Savitsky rises from the desk, where he had been working, to greet him. Savitsky has just finished writing an order for Ivan Chesnokov to advance with his regiment to Chugunov-Dobryvodka and immediately destroy the enemy as soon as they are encountered. After he had signed the order, he added an incentive: failure to fulfill the order will result in Chesnokov's death.

With that formality completed, Savitsky turns his attention to the young man. When the young man hands him the document that officially assigns him to the commander's staff, Savitsky asks him if he is able to read and write. When the young man replies that he graduated with a...