City of Thieves

Lev and Kolya begin their journey to Mga, walking along the disused Moscow railway line, which has been cut by the Germans like all of Leningrad’s rail lines. While Lev is still seething with jealousy over Kolya’s liaison with Sonya, Kolya boasts about his sexual prowess, claiming that he will teach Lev what he knows and help him find a girl. Kolya also continues to quote from The Courtyard Hound while berating critics for their neglect of the novel he considers a masterpiece. Their conversation is interrupted by a gruesome scene: the bodies of a couple and three children sprawled in the snow, their flesh hacked off for meat.

By midday they reach the edge of the Leningrad defenses, where they are stopped by Russian soldiers. Kolya produces a letter given to them by the colonel, stating that they are on a special mission for the NKVD and must not be detained. The sergeant is impressed and finds them some food supplies before sending them on their way.

As they leave behind the darkness of the city and walk through woodland, Lev’s spirits are lifted by the sight of trees and birds.