- Vahan is super lonely at Kars—he even wishes Selim would come to visit him once in a while. He never has anyone to talk to, or anything to do.
- One day, a shy girl named Seranoush shows up. She's definitely seen some dark stuff, because she looks detached and forlorn.
- When she asks Vahan if the men are going to kill them, he promises her they won't, and even gives her a piece of his bread to try to earn her trust.
- She hasn't eaten in three days, so she's happy to receive the food, and wants to know if they'll get more food. Vahan tells her about the schedule: they get fed in the morning and at night, so she just needs to wait.
- But when dinnertime comes, Vahan is surprised to find the soldier with only one tray in his hands—Vahan doesn't understand, but he shares his food with Seranoush to lift her spirits.
- After dinner, Vahan thinks that Seranoush must be there because of Selim Bey. He must have realized that Vahan was miserable and lonely and sent a friend for him to hang out with—suddenly Vahan feels a lot better about things.
- This feeling quickly fades when a soldier comes into the stable later that night. He slaps Seranoush around, pulls down his pants, and then is "violent" with her—Vahan tries to fight the soldier, but he gets beaten back. The same thing happens with three different soldiers that night.
- The next day, Vahan sees how miserable she is after what happened to her; he no longer cares about tending to the horses or doing his work.
- Finally Selim Bey comes to see Vahan, and he's relieved he'll finally get to tell someone what happened. He explains everything to Selim, expecting him to be outraged.
- But Selim doesn't care, and tells Vahan that Seranoush isn't for him to worry about.
- Vahan is confused—he thought she was there for Vahan—but Selim corrects him. That girl's for the officers, so Vahan best not interfere. Pick your friends wisely, Selim tells him.