Sofia Petrovna

Beside herself, Sofia gathers her things to go to Sverdlovsk immediately to correct what she believes must be a mistake. Natasha and Alik persuade her to stay—it’s late; besides, as a native of Leningrad, Kolya will likely be brought back to the city for imprisonment. They decide that the following morning Sofia should go to the prosecutor’s office; Natasha will cover for Sofia at work.

After Natasha and Alik leave, Sofia tries to sleep but cannot, imagining the various misunderstandings that could’ve led to Kolya’s arrest. Sofia feels strangely isolated and alone: “In the darkness flashes from the streetcar wires, lightning-like, lit up the room. A square white patch of light folded like a sheet of paper lay across the wall and ceiling. In the nurse’s room Valya [the nurse’s daughter] was still squealing and laughing” (46).

Before dawn Sofia goes to the prison because she doesn’t know where the prosecutor’s office is. Outside the prison there are hundreds of women, from all backgrounds, who have been waiting overnight to give their imprisoned relatives money. When the visiting doors open at daybreak the crowd rushes into the building and lines up according to the numbers they took the previous night. Completely ignorant of this unfamiliar and convoluted routine, Sofia feels as though she’s slipped into some foreign city.