Chapters 1 and 2 Summary and Analysis

1: Piri (in reality, author Aranka Siegal) is the narrator. In 1939, Piri's mother sent her from Beregszasz to Komjaty to spend time with her grandmother on the farm. Grandpa had recently died, and all five sisters in the family spent time on the farm so Grandma, called Babi, would not be alone.

Piri was on the farm during a battle between the Hungarian army and Ukrainian rebels. They heard gunshots on the nearby border. The next morning, Piri wandered to a river and discovered three dead bodies of soldiers floating in the river. Piri was frightened and went to her grandmother, who cooked her a nice snack.

On a day soon after, Piri encountered a mounted Hungarian policeman on the road, which was a rare sight. The man, named Farenc, was lost and Piri pointed him in the right direction...