Summary

Chapter 1 is titled “Two from Tupik.” Around 1812, a girl goes to gather strawberries and sees a military contingent ride by. She hides but is drawn to stand when she sees the emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. He had arrived here to conquer Russia and “to take the world.” Their eyes lock; then, the soldiers move on, and the girl goes home. Later, Napoleon is defeated, and the girl marries. This woman is later called Bubbe. She lives in her husband's house until the day he does not return. Then, she moves far away with her son Zalman to the village of Tupik. Zalman becomes an apprentice to a baker. When the baker dies, Zalman takes over the business. The woman becomes a midwife and oversees many births, but only two make an impression. One is a boy, born early, who focuses his eyes directly on...