The company is soon deployed to the front as a part of Operation Magistral, and receive the order to hold a nameless hill at all costs. They fortify the hill and turn it into a base. That night however, they are attacked by a group of mujahideen. Only Ryaba survives the attack as the far cordon was entirely annihilated by the attack, letting him speechless and crippled. To make sure that the mujahideen don't start an attack again, several soldiers are ordered to guard the hill. Stas however falls asleep during his duty and is beaten up by Khokhol, Afanasiy and Kurbashi. The next day, Gioconda is instructed to find matches. He encounters an old Afghan man, who, despite the language barrier, leads him to his village. Fearing an ambush, Gioconda arrives in the village and enters the house of the man. Upon seeing an old woman, says it's Haram. He is eventually given matches by a kid living there in return for food. As he leaves the village, he encounters members of the company led by Captain Bystrov (Aleksei Kravchenko), who were ready to storm the village.