Tolgonay's middle son is a budding intellectual with a deep passion for books and reading, grasping life silently but wisely. He dreams of going to school in the city and becoming a teacher. When war breaks out, he considers it an honor to leave his education and defend his homeland. Although he cannot internalize the ugliness of war, he volunteers for suicide missions, saving hundreds of comrades and blowing himself up with the enemy arsenal. The farewell scene where he cries out to his family as his frontline train passes through the village is the most stinging image that haunts Tolgonay's heart for a lifetime.
