A man resolves to tell the true story behind a great chieftain named Murdo’s death, as he is the only one who knows what happened. He’d traveled to rejoin the tribe by the Black Sea after hearing news that Murdo was deathly ill from a knife wound, and when he got there he decided that the chief had to see a modern doctor. On their journey to a doctor, the man tries to convince Murdo to trust the surgical process by explaining microscopes to him. The man is doubtful, but after the successful procedure, he spends over an hour looking through the lens. This experience causes him to have a philosophical awakening in which he realizes he must soon choose an heir to his position, as he is only a small part in the bigger world.  When they return to camp, there are widespread celebrations and Murdo even demonstrates his newfound “invulnerability” by forcing the man to fire a shot at him, which leaves him unharmed. However, Murdo soon begins acting aggressively towards all of his tribe, ordering them around, criticizing them, and quarreling with them. He quickly makes an enemy out of most of his people, especially the witch Miora, who he claims has no power compared to the witch that healed him. One day when they’re at a town, Murdo publicly challenges Miora and her son Lica by saying that whoever can withstand a bullet will be the next chief. A few days later, the two carry out the challenge, and Murdo is shot while Lica is perfectly fine. The man rushes over to the dying chief and discovers he held the bullet meant for Lica in his hand, allowing the other man to shoot him. He realizes that Murdo sacrificed his life to create a chief even more powerful than he was, and honors him for it in his story.