Two years pass after Yuri's abduction. He is still with the Forest Brotherhood, under Liberius's command. Even though he is a prisoner, he is no longer under guard. Each of the three times he has tried to escape, no one has punished him. Liberius favors the doctor, whom he hosts in his own quarters. The two men are very different. Liberius is a blustering, arrogant man who does not understand that Yuri does not agree with him on political matters. Yuri dedicates himself to medical work, refusing to fight but treating “the growing influx of wounded” (254). On one occasion, however, he is forced into combat to defend himself and kills a man while shooting aimlessly at a dead tree. Most of the time, he tries to avoid Liberius and the commander's constant requests for medical supplies, which include cocaine, frequently used in the early 20th century as an anesthetic.

One of the biggest problems, according to Yuri, is “the treatment of mental illnesses out of hospital, in field conditions” (260). Many men complain of suffering from hallucinations. Yuri talks to a recruit named Pamphil Palykh, who has experienced these hallucinations. While walking through the camp, he overhears several the men talking to soldiers from the White Army.