Liudas Vasarį endures the strict bell‑driven routine of his first weeks at the seminary, explores the chapel’s interior, recalls his pre‑seminary turmoil, and takes part in his first communion, feeling more like a formal duty than a spiritual revelation.
Chapter 2 details the seminary’s full hierarchy, the heated Lithuanian‑Polish language dispute, and the exhaustive daily chores imposed on novices, introducing rector Valeškevičius, inspector Mazurkovskis, dean, ceremonial master, music director, organist, apothecary, campanologist, and the first‑year guardian (formarijus), and shows Liudas Vasaris adapting to the strict routine.
Liudas discovers that intellectual arguments cannot persuade his fellow seminarians, so he relies on lived experience; he wrestles with intense conscience examinations and repeated confessions, invents a catalog of sins (pride, envy, etc.), and is labeled “closed” by the senior guardian, deepening his sense of isolation and spiritual emptiness.
Vasaris forms a tentative, conflict‑filled friendship with the cynical senior student Variokas; they discuss why Vasaris entered the seminary, the perceived hypocrisy of priestly duties, and Variokas’s personal ambition to become a corrupt cleric. Vasaris witnesses Variokas describe a drunken deacon’s lecherous behavior, is shown a provocative illustration of a bound naked woman, and later confesses this sight to his spiritual father who rebukes him. He observes that most seminarians are not genuinely pious, learns that the seminary strictly forbids close friendships between students, and becomes more critical of his vocation and the institution.
Variokas announces his imminent departure and offers his coat; Vasaris meets his parents in the parlatorium, feeling degraded by their formal address; Jonelaitis befriends Vasaris and discusses seminary monotony and private study; a secret gathering of clerks opens Vasaris’s hidden “žiu ratkininkas” chest, is interrupted by a rector/inspector, and Vasaris narrowly avoids punishment by kissing the rector’s hand; Vasaris becomes more cautious, learns quick‑hide tactics for books, and his reputation with the rector improves; rumors of Variokas seen with a girl silence further criticism of him.
Vasaris’s first vacation after his first seminary year: a vivid, almost transcendental journey through the Lithuanian countryside, arrival back in his home village, reunion with his parents, and his attempt to keep the strict seminary schedule at home (morning prayers, meditation, evening prayers, reading, attending Mass and receiving Communion). He meets his parish’s young priest (no vicar) who hosts him briefly. A few days later Vasaris travels with his fellow cleric Petryla to the Kleviškio parish for a major celebration. There he assists in the liturgy, joins a banquet of about ten clergy, and experiences a chaotic drinking episode involving the “apaštalas” (a strict vicar), broken glasses and heated arguments with the host priest. During the dinner the young coffee‑serving girl Liucė draws Vasaris’s attention, creating an awkward flirtation. These events expand the picture of parish life, clergy camaraderie and conflict, and introduce new characters (the young parish priest, the “apaštalas”, Liucė) while showing Vasaris’s ongoing struggle to reconcile his seminary formation with real‑world priestly duties.
Liudas Vasaris confronts his lingering infatuation with Liucė, the priest’s adopted daughter, during Saint Laurence’s indulgence celebrations. The chapter reveals Liucė’s background, her close musical friendship with the young vicar Zigmas Trikauskas, and the arrival of a mixed clergy‑lay gathering at Petryla’s house where ideological debates about the Lithuanian clergy’s role unfold. At the farewell (išleistuvės) Liucė greets Vasaris in a confusing, partially aggressive manner, leaving him humiliated and deepening his internal conflict.
Vasaris is ordered to vacate his second‑year dormitory and return to the “labirintas”, protests the decision, confronts the senior clerk and inspector Mazurkovskis, is rebuffed and forced to move, later confesses his dissent, and reflects on his resignation and deepening inner conflict.
During the Nekalto atindimas Vasaris is struck by a sudden vision of a mysterious woman in white at the altar, which awakens a deep, hopeful longing and temporarily lifts his melancholy. After the service he receives lively remarks from classmates about his improved mood, joins a cheerful dinner where jokes circulate about his new liveliness, and is praised for his enthusiastic singing. Later, Petryla tells Vasaris that Liucė will soon arrive at the seminary, intensifying Vasaris’s inner conflict between his idealized memory of her and the mysterious woman he has begun to idealize. Vasaris resolves to sit in the same front‑row seat at the next day’s service, hoping to catch another glimpse of the unknown woman.
Vasaris experiences a vision of a mysterious woman, writes and publicly prints his first poem, is inducted into the clandestine clerical society “Šviesa,” meets senior seminarians Petras Varnėnas and Matas Sereika, and deepens his study of philosophy and logic.
During the Christmas period Vasaris meets the visiting priest Kimša and his relative Liuce, encounters the seminary’s lay guest Liucė, and becomes emotionally entangled with her. He receives and then gives Liucė handmade gloves, endures teasing from Petryla, and faces a brief clash with the priest over duties, deepening his inner conflict about love, vocation, and his place in the seminary.
Varnėnas declaims Maironis’ poem “Skausmo balsas” at a seminar evening, prompting a chaotic debate over the poet’s identity; the rector confronts Varnėnas about a published article in “Draugija,” demands a pseudonymous signature and threatens expulsion; later a Lithuanian‑Polish singing contest erupts, the rector violently strikes Lithuanian tenor Marčiulis, deepening cultural tensions and fueling Kasaitis’s pessimism.
Vasaris is expelled from his second‑year dorm and forced to relocate to the “labirintas,” protests the decision and confesses his dissent. He has a vision of a mysterious woman in white during a Nekalto atindimas, which brightens his mood; classmates comment on his liveliness and praise his singing, and Petryla tells him that Liucė will soon arrive at the seminary, prompting Vasaris to sit in the front row. He writes and publishes his first poem, is inducted into the secret clerical society Šviesa, and meets senior seminarians Petras Varnėnas and Matas Sereika, deepening his philosophical studies. During the Christmas period he meets visiting priest Kimša and his relative Liuce, receives and gives Liucė handmade gloves, endures teasing and a brief clash with the priest over duties, further intensifying his inner conflict.
Vasaris enters the third‑year moral theology course, studies the treatises De actibus humanis, De peccatis and the especially hazardous De sexto et nono, and is confronted with a confessional case in which a penitent (Kajus) admits “Osculavi Caiam”. Vasaris must formulate probing questions to determine whether the act is a material grave sin, a minor sin, or merely a harmless gesture, while the professor reacts with increasing hostility, exposing the difficulty of applying moral‑theological criteria (cognitio, deliberatio, liberum consensus) in practice.
Liudas vows to become a vicar, pledging abstinence from alcohol, gambling and women; he meets his friend Eigulis who urges practical prayer, attempts poetry and receives mixed feedback from Eigulis and senior student Sereika; his father visits on April 28 bringing cookies and recounting family hardships; Liudas recalls the revolutionary May 1 1906 celebration on the Šešupė banks; on May 25 he becomes obsessed with Liucė, imagining a moonlit manor encounter and a boat ride, exposing his conflict between vocation and romance; during the second day of the seminary retreat he writes and shares two new poems, noting their warm yet melancholic tone.
The rector reads a scathing, sarcastic letter allegedly written by the expelled Radastinis and uses it to issue a formal warning that “dangerous” relationships, especially with women, will be watched with double sensitivity. Seminarians react with a mixture of fear, amusement, and speculation that Radastinis exaggerated his deeds. The rector then announces that, with the bishop’s approval, all third‑year students will receive the four minor orders; the ceremony is described in detail—the bishop blesses the candidates, an ampulla of oil is poured, a bell is rung, a key is turned in the chrismatory, and a specialist performs a precisely measured tonsure using a silver coin and pencil to outline the cut. Vasaris, still tormented by his lingering affection for Liucė and the recent vision of a woman in white, decides to sit in the front row at the next service hoping to see her again, while reflecting on the rector’s warning and his own vulnerability.
Vasaris, Liudas and Kasaitis complete their planned pilgrimage: they explore Vilnius’ Aušros Vartai, the cathedral, Gediminas Hill and the crypt of Vytautas, discuss the suppression of the Lithuanian language by church authorities, and then travel to Trakai, sail on the lake and wander among the ruined Trakai castle while debating Lithuanian heritage versus foreign influences.
Liudas Vasaris deepens his spiritual crisis by retreating to an empty chapel for prolonged solitary meditation, where the red‑oil lamp, silence, and distant saintly paintings offer a fleeting emotional lift. He then studies the dogmatic works De Redemptione, De sacramentis and De gratia, but finds them intellectually cold and spiritually barren, prompting a desperate inner question about God’s silence and a resolve to seek singular, personal methods of renewal. As spring awakens, Vasaris meticulously records the melting snow, first shoots of grass and blossoming trees; the sudden, bright chirp of a bird on a path sparks a renewed hope and gradually restores his mood, marking a subtle turning point toward emotional recovery.
Vasaris and the Šviesos members walk in a June forest and debate the newly appointed, contentious Professor Vingelevičius, whose harsh treatment of seminarians fuels Vasaris’s criticism of senior clergy and his resolve to shield the younger generation. He adopts a personal mantra of “silence, hide, conceal your dreams,” reads Tiutchev’s poem “Silentium,” and begins composing poetry, signaling a turn toward secretive self‑expression and deeper spiritual crisis.
Liudas Vasaris travels to Kleviškis for Klebonas Kimša’s 50‑year birthday and 25‑year priesthood jubilee, wears a new clergy cap, meets senior cleric Petryla and receives a warning from the newly honoured “kanauninkas”. During the service he notices Liucė, now grown and distant, and later confronts her in the salona, where their conversation reveals his lingering romantic feelings, doubts about his vocation, and the tension between his poetic aspirations and clerical expectations.
During his February vacation Vasaris oscillates between rigid parish duties and aimless wandering, intensifying his fascination with Liucė. The chapter adds Liucė’s uncle, who pushes her toward marriage with the doctor Brazgys, and portrays the strained courtship. Vasaris plans a farewell gathering (išleistuvės), invites the clergy, and experiences a tense, flirtatious encounter with Liucė that ends with ambiguous promises as his free days draw to a close.
The farewell (išleistuvės) at Vasari’s homestead draws a crowded, mixed crowd of clergy, seminarians, and villagers; an unexpected guest Varnėnas appears, creating tense conversation. After the banquet the party climbs a nearby hill, sings loudly, and Liucė shares an intimate, ambiguous exchange with Vasaris, deepening his inner conflict.
The farewell (išleistuvės) is held at Vasari’s family home, drawing clergy, seminarians and villagers; senior seminarian Varnėnas arrives unexpectedly, sparking a tense dialogue. After the feast the group ascends a nearby hill, sings loudly, and Liucė engages Vasaris in a charged, ambiguous conversation that intensifies his inner turmoil.
Liudas Vasaris undergoes his subdeacon ordination, receives the subdeacon vestments, experiences a vision of a mysterious woman in white, confronts lingering feelings for Liucė, and weighs three possible paths concerning his poetry and priestly vocation.
Liucė finalizes her marriage to Dr. Brazgys, arranges the wedding for 15 August, and invites subdeacon (clerk) Vasaris. Their private meeting in the garden ends with Vasaris rejecting any romantic involvement and reaffirming his solitary clerical path, while Liucė proceeds with the ceremony. The wedding is described in detail, and Vasaris, after attending, feels a deep emptiness and returns to his seminary life, intensifying his inner struggle.
Liudas Vasaris is ordained subdeacon, receives the subdeacon vestments, experiences a vision of a mysterious woman in white at the altar, confronts his lingering feelings for Liucė, and contemplates three possible future paths concerning his poetic aspirations and priestly vocation.
The chapter reveals a bitter dispute over the appointment of a second vicar in Kalnynų, highlights the arduous renovation of the vicarage, and details the contrasting personalities and daily routines of elder priest Kun. Platūnas and newly assigned vicar Kun. Jonas Stripaitis, including their conflicts over repairs and administrative duties.
Liudas Vasaris arrives in Kalnynų on a carriage, is greeted hostilely by vicar Platūnas, moves into a half‑finished vicarage with his father and brother, begins furnishing his new rooms, reflects on his priestly duties, finances, and his uneasy relationship with Julė.
Liudas Vasaris arrives in Kalnynų, is received coldly by vicar Platūnas, moves into an unfinished vicarage with his father and brother, begins to furnish and organise his new quarters, and confronts financial strains and an uneasy relationship with Julė.
Kun. Stripaitis returns from the city, reports that wheat prices are firm and beginning to rise, and attempts to soothe the klebonas’s anxiety. Their exchange exposes a bitter dispute over who will dominate the local economic structures – the cooperatives and the “Žagrės” council – and introduces the dangerous influence of Naujapolio’s “pralotas”. The two priests debate the need for a third priest in Kalnynai, which the klebonas fears will erode his authority. During a modest luncheon, Julė serves the meal while Liudas receives unexpected “lauktuvių” (gifts) from Naujapolio, prompting a nervous, flirtatious interaction between Liudas and Julė that draws the attention of Stripaitis and Vasaris. The chapter also brings up a prospective meeting with doctor Brazgys’s relative “ponia Brazgienė” and hints at a future alliance between Stripaitis, Vasaris and other clergy to counter the emerging economic‑political faction.
Vasaris arrives at the Rainaki manor, meets Baron Rainakis, his Polish baroness and his sister Sokolina, and observes three riders—two women disguised as cavalrymen—leading to a brief, slightly awkward conversation that deepens his fascination with aristocratic life.
Vasari organizes a thorough cleaning of Kalnynų church; the altarpiece is restored to a brilliant shine, prompting admiration but also the vicar Platūnas’s bitter resentment. Subsequent discussions among local farmers (Žodelis, Borvikis) and priests (Stripaitis, Vasari) reveal accusations of financial abuse in the cooperatives and “Žagrės” council, leading to a secret meeting, a public orator’s denunciation, and a violent clash in the inn where Stripaitis strikes a farmer. Vasari remains a reluctant witness, torn between his clerical duties, the vicar’s hostility, and the farmers’ grievances.
Vasaris attends the Naujapol indulgence hosted by landowner Girvydas. Girvydas pulls Vasaris aside, interrogates him about the moral and economic scandals of the Kalnynų priests (Platūnas and Stripaitis), recounts the recent “ex‑priest” scandal of a cleric who married in America, debates the merits of celibacy versus marriage for clergy, and urges Vasaris to seize a literary‑clerical role like Maironis. Vasaris declines extra food, promises to visit the local lady Brazgienė more often, and leaves the banquet chastised but inspired.
After the New Year indulgences, Vasaris sinks into a severe creative block and depressive stupor, fails to compose any poetry despite encouragement from Kapelionas Laibys and warmth from Liucija, and spends a restless night wandering the seminary garden and chapel, where he confronts the tomb of a dead priest and experiences an uncanny, almost visionary encounter with a mysterious baroness; his inner conflict between priestly duties and lingering desire intensifies as he resolves to seek out the baroness again.
Vasaris, Stripaitis and Klebonas Platūnas are summoned to the Rainaki manor for tea. The gathering reveals the baron’s multilingual eccentricities, the baroness’s seductive charm, and a heated debate about clerical celibacy and love, intensifying Vasaris’s inner conflict and introducing the chambermaid and the baron’s sister Sokolina as new characters.
The chapter details the public scandal surrounding Kun. Stripaitis’s violent episode in Vingilas, the ensuing clerical and popular condemnation, and Kun. Vasaris’s reluctant mission to attend the dying old man Piktupas (Andrius) – a task that ends with a botched last‑rite, the man’s death, and Vasaris’s deepening spiritual crisis and doubt about his priestly vocation.
Vasaris receives a letter from the baroness inviting him to her manor to collect books. He visits the manor, is led by a chambermaid to the baroness’s library, and is asked to sort and retrieve books for her. A lengthy, flirtatious philosophical dialogue unfolds about asceticism, pleasure, clerical clothing, and sin, revealing the baroness’s seductive demeanor and Vasaris’s inner conflict between duty and desire. After clearing the library box, the baroness escorts Vasaris to a luxuriously furnished second‑floor salon where she continues the conversation while reading erotic illustrations. The encounter ends with Vasaris leaving, unsettled, and the baroness later recounts the visit to her maid Sokolina, describing Vasaris as a young, poetic, and conflicted figure.
Kun. Stripaitis resigns from the users’ association, which is then dissolved; he receives a transfer to the remote parish of Kalnynus and is replaced by the little‑known Kun. Ramutis. During his final days he hosts a farewell meeting, receives a surprising visit from the farmers Žodelis and Borvikis who kiss his hand and apologize, and spends a last night in contemplation with Vasari before departing.
This chapter introduces the aristocratic baroness, who meets Vasaris when he returns to the manor to return borrowed books. Their walk in the park turns into a flirtatious, philosophical dialogue about love, beauty, the purpose of people who “decorate the world,” and the role of clergy‑authors. The baroness names historical priest‑writers (Naruševičius and Krasickis) and ridicules the notion that clergy exist only to please others, prompting Vasaris to question his own priestly vocation. His inner conflict intensifies as he recalls his lingering feelings for Liucė and feels torn between the ideal of a holy life and his poetic, sensual aspirations.
Vasaris’s tentative courtship with Baroness Rainakienė deepens as a visiting Polish guest, the flamboyant Kozinski, dominates the manor’s social scene, provoking Vasaris’s jealousy and humiliation. The baroness announces a forthcoming Saturday ball and invites Vasaris to attend, intensifying his internal conflict between clerical duty, romantic longing, and feelings of inadequacy.
Vasaris attends a sumptuous banquet at the baroness’s manor, engages in a heated philosophical exchange with Kapelionas about women’s nature, witnesses a comic episode when Kozinski crashes while retrieving a lost shoe buckle that Gruber ultimately finds, and receives flirtatious advances from the baroness that culminate in a kiss, deepening his inner conflict between his priestly vocation, poetic aspirations, and emerging romantic desire.
The aristocratic baroness Rainakienė finally meets the young priest Vasaris in her manor, offers him coffee, escorts him to her library, and impulsively kisses him, prompting Vasaris to wrestle with the moral status of the act (osculum cum libidine) and deepening his internal conflict between vocation and desire; the baron reacts angrily, and Vasaris returns home reflecting on the sin, his future, and the impossible romance.
Vasaris spirals further into artistic obsession and moral doubt; priest Ramutis intervenes, guiding him through a forest walk, critiquing his love‑themed poetry, urging a turn to devotional writing, and imposing a stricter spiritual routine.
Vasaris travels to Naujapol for the carnival, meets the outspoken landowner Girvydas who chastises complacent clergy, experiences the festive customs, discovers that his former love, ponia Brazgienė, is now pregnant, and has a stark theological discussion with chaplain Laibys about the Church’s need for active, politically savvy priests, intensifying his inner conflict between vocation, poetry, and personal desire.
Vasaris is forced to deliver an unprepared sermon after Father Ramučius falls ill; his note slips away, the sermon lasts only five minutes and he is mocked by a fellow cleric. He then joins the parish’s post‑Christmas “kalėdojimas” outreach, travelling in three wagons with other clergy. In the first village, Paliepių, the host’s family scrambles to allocate parish funds, humiliates Vasaris and accuses him of taking money, while the children’s catechism questions turn into jokes. Vasaris gives the poor family two rubles, then proceeds to a richer farmer’s house where the hospitality is smooth. Exhausted, he reflects on the night sky, seeing the journey as his only reward for the day’s hardships.
Vasaris’s crisis intensifies: his former lover Julė stalks his confessions and reports every detail to his confessor, the priest reacts with increasing hostility, and Vasaris is plagued by rumors of immoral conduct, harsh reprimands, and haunting liturgical visions while singing Latin prayers, deepening the rift between his poetic longing and priestly obligations.
Introduces the three Kalnynų priests—Klebonas, Vasaris, and Ramutis—and their distinct May routines; shows Vasaris’s intensified contemplative bond with nature and emerging poetic voice; details his reluctant role as godfather at Vytautas Kazimieras’s baptism in Naujapolis, including the full rite and the comedic exchange with the old gentleman Kimša; depicts a banquet where Girvydas predicts war in Europe while Kimša argues for peace, exposing rising political tension; underscores Vasaris’s inner turmoil between vocation, poetry, and worldly concerns.
Baroness Rainakienė arrives at the estate, sends a cryptic letter to the young priest Vasaris that is intercepted and examined by the maid Julė, and Vasaris, after a period of personal grooming and contemplation, meets the baroness for the first time in the park where they discuss the letter and their mutual expectations.
The aristocratic baroness Rainakienė writes a cryptic letter to Vasaris, which is intercepted by the maid Julė. Vasaris takes time to groom himself and reflect, then meets the baroness in the park. Their conversation centers on the letter’s meaning and their mutual expectations, deepening Vasaris’s inner conflict.
Vasaris is summoned by the influential landowner Girvydas to Naujapol, where Girvydas accuses the parish vicar of an illicit liaison with the baroness, predicts an imminent European war, and urges Vasaris to seek a Russian academic posting. Vasaris later meets Liucija of the Brazgi household, discusses the looming conflict and his personal anxieties, then reports the incident to the baroness, who dismisses the scandal and doubts the war. The chapter concludes with the Kalnynai parish “Škaplierinės atlaidai” fest, where numerous clergy—including the flamboyant Petryla, the pessimistic Kasaitis, and the elderly Šlavantų tėvelis—gather, revealing clerical tensions and deepening Vasaris’s sense of alienation.
Vasaris attends the Rainaki family’s farewell, witnesses the baron’s departure amid ominous distant thunder-like sounds, engages in a charged philosophical dialogue with Baroness Sokolina about war and personal destiny, and returns home to find the Kalnynų area being rapidly fortified for an imminent conflict.
Vasaris obtains the bishop’s permission to travel to the Academy, discovers the local doctor has been mobilised for the war, holds a farewell ceremony (išleistuvės) with his family and clergy, travels back to Kalnynai, and witnesses the demolition of the church tower, which shatters his hopes for a clerical future.
Liudas Vasaris returns to an independent Lithuania after ten years, encounters the altered Virbalio railway station, reunites with his former seminary companion Antanas Meškėnas, and proceeds to Kaunas where he observes the city’s ruinous state and contemplates his wartime experiences and present identity.
Vasaris attends an evening at Professor Meškėnas’s home, where he is warmly but absurdly received by the host and the flamboyant Representative Stripaitis, and also meets the lawyer Indrulis. After a noisy political debate and heavy drinking, Meškėnas asks Vasaris to cover a liturgical service after midnight; Vasaris refuses, citing a “casus conscientiae.” Indrulis then talks with Vasaris about a possible lodging in Rūtoje and mentions a wealthy American woman, further complicating Vasaris’s personal turmoil.
Liudas Vasaris returns to Lithuania, checks into a hotel under an incognito identity, and is approached by a visiting Franciscan, Father Severinas, who requests a confessor for a seriously ill brother. The encounter reveals the seminary’s practice of using the hotel for priests needing confession and introduces a potential new pastoral duty for Vasaris.
Liudas Vasaris returns to his native village, spends several days with his aging father who narrates the village’s wartime suffering and the fates of extended relatives; Liudas revisits sites such as Aušrakalnis, confronts lingering feelings for his former lover Liucė, and internally rejects the notion of serving as the parish priest, deepening his sense of isolation.
Liudas Vasaris, still three years without having gone to confession, decides to celebrate Mass anyway. He justifies the action by arguing that the objective value of the sacrament does not depend on his canonical standing. After a night of contemplation on Aušrakalnis, he puts on his long‑neglected sutana, goes to the village church, conducts the liturgy despite tremors and a brief loss of balance, receives Communion, and returns home to his parents’ praise, who declare him a true priest.
Vasaris returns to Kaunas, settles in a room at Indrulis’s flat, reconnects with his old seminary friend Petras Varnėnas and debates openly abandoning the priesthood while planning a literary‑musical evening; he is then summoned by the bishop, who confronts his indecision about remaining a cleric, leaving Vasaris feeling exposed and trapped.
Vasaris convenes a salon at Varnėnas’s house where editor Karklys, poet Kalnius, dramatist Lapelytė, composer Aidužis, professor Meškėnas, lawyer Indrulis and the American guest Gražulytė (who introduces herself as Auksė) gather. Karklys launches a tirade against contemporary society and literature; Kalnius retorts about writing on corruption; Meškėnas interjects with a satirical appraisal of Lithuanian institutions. Auksė, described in detail, performs a modest, classically‑styled piano piece that silences the room with reverent awe. Vasaris then presents the plot of his unfinished mythic drama, summarising three acts: a youthful ruler’s illicit love for a deity’s statue, a deadly famine and revolt led by a giant’s daughter, and, twenty years later, the son‑king’s trial of his parents and the giant’s daughter’s sudden change of heart. The guests debate the drama’s artificiality, its potential as an opera, and its moral message, while Indrulis repeatedly seeks Auksė’s opinion, which she withholds. Vasaris decides to proceed cautiously, neither renouncing his inner artistic world nor yielding to clerical expectations, and feels both encouraged by Auksė’s appreciative silence and unsettled by the sharp intellectual clashes.
Liudas Vasaris is confirmed as director of the gymnasium and simultaneously receives holy orders, forcing him to juggle demanding administrative duties with increasing priestly obligations. An opera outing brings him face‑to‑face with his former lover Liucija Brazgienė, now married to Povilas Glaudžius, reigniting old emotions and highlighting the stark change in her demeanor. Back at the gymnasium Vasaris endures a severe conscience crisis, questioning the authenticity of his confessions, Masses, and even his vocation. He engages in contentious dialogues with fellow cleric Kun. Stripaitis—who derides his hypocrisy—and with lawyer Indrulis, who provokes him on political‑theological matters, while Professor Meškėnas remarks on Vasaris’s lack of spiritual depth. The chapter culminates with Vasaris trapped between his dual roles, lingering desire for Liucija, and a looming decision about whether to remain in the priesthood.
Indrulis’s long‑standing obsession with Auksė intensifies as he becomes jealous of her interest in the poet‑priest Liudas Vasaris; he confronts her at a literary gathering, probing her feelings about Vasaris’s drama and clerical status, which leads to a tense dialogue that leaves Auksė ambiguous and Indrulis frustrated, highlighting his selfish ambitions and growing insecurity.
Liudas spends his post‑Christmas three‑week holiday in Kaunas, visits the elegant household of Liucija Glaudžiuvienė, meets her husband Povilas Glaudžius, engages in a strained but witty conversation about titles, theatre, industry, and war; the godson Vytukas appears, prompting a discussion of his collections and a request for a theatre ticket, which Liucija eventually gives to Liudas. The episode highlights Liucija’s transformation into a fashionable, socially‑active woman and deepens Liudas’s conflicted feelings toward her.
Liucija Glaudžiuvienė’s personal history is introduced: her disintegration of marriage to the selfish yet socially influential Glaudžius, her adaptation to aristocratic society, and her unexpected encounter with Liudas “Vasaris” at a theatre, where she discovers that he no longer shares her affection.
New Year’s Eve celebration at Gražulis’s spacious apartment brings together the regular artistic circle (Varnėnas, Vasaris, poet Kalnius, musician Aidužis, editor of “Spinduliai”, actress Lapelytė, and others) plus two unexpected guests, Indrulis and his colleague, whose uninvited arrival creates tension. A pivotal, intimate dialogue unfolds between Auksė and Vasaris about loneliness, the need for a close companion, and the emptiness of superficial merriment. The chapter ends with Gražulis’s midnight toast, Auksė’s poetic speech, and the group welcoming 1925 with champagne.
After the Christmas celebrations Vasaris resumes his teaching duties at the gymnasium, takes guardianship of the boy Vytukas and learns of Vytukas’s troubled home situation involving his mother and a visiting Captain Raibys. He deepens his complex relationships with Auksė Gražulytė and Liucija Glaudžiuvienė, confronting intensified sexual desire, jealousy, and a crisis of vocation versus poetic and romantic longing.
Liudai attends Ponia Liucija’s small Nemunas boat outing, is mocked by Indrulis, engages in tense recollections with Liucija about past folk dances, and departs the river feeling isolated and conflicted.
Vasaris reunites with Auksė in a passionate encounter, but their relationship is shattered when Auksė discovers Vasaris has lied about staying at his family home and was actually spending time with Glaudžiuvienė. A heated confrontation exposes Vasaris’s pattern of deception, his secret affair, and Auksė’s decision that their future together is untenable; Vasaris vows to end the affair while confronting rumors among fellow seminarians.
Vasaris finally ends his involvement with Liucija Glaudžiuvienė after learning she will depart for Palanga; a tense farewell in her salon reveals her unhappiness and his lingering guilt. He then roams the night‑filled streets of Kaunas, crosses the Neman bridge to Aleksotas, climbs the hill to a panoramic overlook, and delivers a detailed, symbolic meditation on the city as a demonic, consuming force, solidifying his resolve to keep moving forward.
Liudas Vasaris spends his summer vacation in Nida, where he isolates himself, reflects on his priestly duties and family guilt, climbs the dunes, unexpectedly meets Auksė (the American woman from his past), and decides to finish and submit his drama to the State Theatre, contemplating a possible break from the priesthood.
Vasaris, now gymnasium director, publicly announces he will cease all priestly duties, refusing to hold Mass or give sermons, and insists on being regarded as a lay citizen. He clashes with the chapel’s chaplain and the association chairman, explains his past clerical failures, and declares his intent to live as a civilian. A heated dialogue with Auksė reveals his lingering love for a woman and his anxiety about marriage under Catholic law. He revisits a scandal involving an ex‑priest who married abroad, uses it to justify his stance, and turns his attention to his literary work. Vasaris finalises his drama, which premieres at the State Theatre with elaborate staging, music, and a mixed audience of clergy, literary figures, and officials; reactions range from enthusiastic acclaim to criticism of its secular tone. Post‑premiere, Vasaris receives praise, admonitions, and personal questioning from Meškėnas, Indrulis, the bishop, and Auksė, leaving him torn between remaining in the priesthood, marrying Auksė, and pursuing his artistic career.