The family  has been living without a firm parental hand for a year — the father is paralyzed. Ukraine was also left without a head of state after the betrayal of Yanukovych and his flight to Russia. Euromaidan swept the oligarchs out of power, and after Russia's military aggression against Ukraine in the Crimea and Donbass, the Russo-Ukrainian War began. Karpo, in difficult times for Ukraine, shows his pro-Russian essence: he blames Euromaidan for everything, calls the Revolution of Dignity a virus of "maidanuti". He is angry because his employer and the local leader of the "Party of Regions" disappears, and he is left without a job. Lavrin cannot listen to his brother’s anti-Ukrainian propaganda as well as cannot believe how it is possible to betray his nation. Semyhory has not been spared of the scourge — Vasyl, a friend of Karpo and Lavrin, are drafted into the army and go missing in the Battle of Ilovaisk. There are lots of refugees from eastern Ukraine in the village. Families are divided into two camps: some are sympathetic to the displaced people and ready to give them everything needed, while others see them as pro-Russian traitors and want them to leave Semyhory. Sveta often cries because of Vasyl, while Melashka cannot help thinking about Sasha from Donetsk, who also stopped writing to her. Motria finally gets pregnant. Lavrin decides to become a volunteer fighter.