Chapters 1 - 3 Summary

Chapter 1: In late July of 1461, a string of crude, one-horse peasant wagons makes its way along the road to Krakow. Each wagon is piled high with goods for the Krakow marketplace, ranging from vegetables to livestock to rich earth for city gardens. The peasants wear crude, rough cloth. The wealthier country gentlemen in the caravan wear leather. All of the women wear colorful scarves and all of the men carry a weapon. Thieves are a big concern at market time, because the wagons contain the results of months of labor. On the return trip, the farmers will have gold or silver to show for their efforts, and thus must worry even more about thieves.

In this caravan, one wagon stands out, for it is led by two horses, not one, and it contains nothing except a very large pumpkin. A man...