Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 Summary

Fall arrives in Siberia and announces itself with a loud, screeching wind that terrifies Esther. A pact has been made between Poland and the Soviet Union, granting all exiles amnesty. Esther isn't sure what that means, but judges that it is positive based on the reactions of the other exiles. Because of this news, Makrinin tells them that they can leave the mines and be assigned jobs in the village for a small stipend. It is a huge improvement from the mine work.

The move to the village of Rubtsovsk is a welcome one and the family enters the barracks, or their new home. There, they find old friends from Vilna and their grandmother prays fervently that their grandfather will find a way to make it to Rubtsovsk to find them. The next morning, all of the adults are...