Chapter One Summary

It is 1934 in Bulgaria, in the town of Vidin. Khristo Stoianev and his younger brother Nikko are watching a march by the local fascist militia. Khristo is nineteen and Nikko is fifteen; the two boys have lived in the village all their lives. The militia is newly formed, and they are proud of their uniforms displaying the Nazi symbols. Their hats are conical and adorned with goose feathers. The locals call them Levitzky's Geese, but not to the faces of these militia men, because the men have created an aura of fear about them and their organization. It is an autumn evening, and the brothers have paused on their way back from the bread maker to watch the march. As the militia approach, the brothers are reminded of the geese reference and struggle to keep from laughing at the display. Just...