Tuhia he tomokanga mō tēnei wāhanga - Ka huri te kōrero ki te Crimea, i reira te kaipupuri whenua pouaru a Nikolai Mikhailovich Layevsky e manaaki ana i tana tama a Pavel mai i te rima tau o tana mahi hōia. Ki tana whakamataku, he tawhiti atu i te tūmataiti te hui, nā te mea kua kawea mai e Pavel a Vitkevich. He tangata pōhēhē, he tangata pōhēhē, e tuku ana i te ahua o te kore whakaaro, ehara ko Vitkevich anake te mea tino pai o te whanau kingi o Ruhia, engari he mea whakamiharo ano hoki na ona hoa rangatira. Heoi, kaore a Nikolai i te kite he aha te take i kaha ai tana tama ki te tangata ke, kaore i te mohio ko Vitkevich te momo tangata e noho ana i roto i te whare moepuku mo te kaupapa noa o te inu waipiro. Ka mau a Vitkevich i a Nikolai e koa ana ki te wa piri ki a Masha, te kaitohutohu matua o te kainga, he ahua o te whaea whakakapi ki a Pavel, na Vitkevich i whakaatu mai ka tiimata ia ki te mahi tino nui, ara he haerenga ki Kabul. Katahi ka haere a Vitkevich ki te kauwhau mo te mutunga o Ruhia me te hiahia o te rangatiratanga ki te whakawhānui rohe
, he ariā e whakahe ana a Masha.