From 1915 to 1918, the family has eagerly awaited the arrival of the postman so that they can hear about Kostia, the eldest brother who has gone off to war. Every day that they do not see his name on the casualty lists is a relief - after which the children can return to their lessons. But then a different letter arrives from Kostia, in which he says he will be coming home soon. The mother is overjoyed, but knows it is too early to start waiting. The days pass slowly, and the mother finds herself caught up in the dreadful stillness of waiting. She can do nothing else with her time, and soon spends the entire day sitting by the window and waiting. Every passerby turning the corner looks like Kostia, until they come closer and it is revealed that they are strangers. Soon, the anxiety of the mother spreads to the household. Tempers fly high, and the children are caught between their parents. The youngest, Adrian, makes up a childish story about seeing Kostia coming up to the house, and when this is revealed to be untrue, he - and the rest of the children - seemingly become the objects of their mother's loathing. The father gets angry at the smallest of things until he joins the mother briefly at the window, and they share a moment of understanding when both of them mistake a stranger for Kostia. Then the mother's health begins to unravel, and she talks to herself about the boy who has not come home yet. Their 'sacrifice' to the war should have been rewarded, but instead all she has are dreams and unfulfilled hopes. The children worry, but she will not speak to them. After spending nearly three weeks in that chair, laying 'siege' to the road with her eyes in anticipation of Kostia's arrival, the mother runs down the stairs screaming so terribly that the children flee in terror.