Chapters 1-3, pp. 3-29 Summary

In chapter one, the area in southeast Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the sea is described. There are marshes and also fertile soil. Dikenli is the high plain of thistles, and the home of five villages that are owned by Abdi Agha. The main village is Deyirmenoluk. Towering over it is the Akchadagh, the White Mountain.

In chapter two, a boy is running away through the thistles, getting cut by them on his legs. He hides among rocks and then continues in search of a village he has heard about. The boy follows a goat track and approaches a house as it gets dark. The boy hopes to be adopted by someone and to work as a goat herder. He hides near an old man who sees him and brings the boy into his house. The...