The Great Plain Drinks the Blood of Christian Men and Is Satisfied
- The chapter opens with a general description of how much people's grandfathers tend to idealize the past, when men were men and they tamed the great wilderness of America. But these stories often leave out the fact that many people fell into despair and committed suicide because life on the prairies was so backbreaking and lonely.
- The most important part of most people's lives in those early days was the trip into town. This trip offered the only real chance for people to be among large groups of friends, and to have a drink and socialize.
- In the winter of 1880, it basically snows all the time. There are very few breaks in the winter, and people can only scratch their heads and wonder if it'll ever end. Troubles brew when one of the Tallaksen boys loses Tönseten's coffee mill in a snowdrift. But that's a minor problem compared to what's coming…
- One day, Hans Olsa finds that part of the straw covering his shed has blown away in a storm, and his cattle are trying to huddle for warmth. He knows that the cattle won't survive unless he finds better shelter for the. So he grabs some hay and sets to repairing his shed. When he's done, he drives the cattle back inside. It's nighttime by the time he finishes, and with the snow outside, he's not even sure how to get back to his house.
- Rather than make the dangerous trek back, he huddles in among his cows and sleeps with them for warmth.
- But the storm is relentless. It pulls his shed apart again while Hans is sleeping. He wakes up covered in snow and can't feel his limbs or fingers. He tries to walk around and force some blood back into his extremities. He has no choice but to make a desperate run for home, although he knows he'll probably die of hypothermia before he makes it.
- Miraculously, Hans is able to stumble all the way back into his house. But he has a horrible cough and he goes to bed immediately with a fever. His wife Sörine knows they need a doctor, but no one can go get the man because of the storm. Word eventually gets around the settlement and Per Hansa comes to visit his closest friend.
- Since no doctor is available, the Norwegians call on one of the Irish settlers living nearby who goes by the name of Crazy Bridget. It seems that Bridget is a bit of a faith healer who uses ointments and potions to bring people back to health.
- The woman comes over to Hans Olsa and makes some goo that she spreads over his back and chest.
- Later on, Tönseten comes in and tries to create a less serious atmosphere for Hans Olsa. The man is all about keeping things pleasant, but Beret is deeply offended by how little respect the guy is showing for the situation. In her mind, they should all be dropping to their knees and begging God's forgiveness before they die.
- Once Beret is alone with Hans Olsa, Hans ask her if she thinks he'll pull through. Rather than staying positive, Beret tells Hans he'll definitely die and that he should see a minister before he does to try to avoid burning in hell forever. Yeah, thanks for that, Beret.
- Nonetheless, Hans Olsa heeds her advice. When Per Hansa returns, Hans Olsa asks him to go bring the minister. But Per Hansa thinks the weather is too dangerous to go looking for the minister. Besides, he doesn't really take the whole doomed-to-hell thing that seriously.
- When Per Hansa gets home, Beret berates him for not doing everything he can to save his best friend from going to hell. For Hansa, though, it's totally unreasonable to trek out into such terrible weather for this reason.
- As the hours go by, Beret won't let the point drop. She guilt trips Per over and over until he finally gets fed up and goes. He straps on a pair of skis and goes past Hans Olsa's house one more time. He sees Sörine outside and asks how things are, but Sörine says that Hans is actually looking a little better. She asks whether Per could fetch the doctor instead of the minister.
- Just before Per Hansa sets off, his youngest son Peter Victorious comes out and tells him that Beret has made coffee for him before he leaves. The gesture warms Per's heart, but he sets out without going back inside.
- Per stops one more time to look in on Hans Olsa and then leaves…
- The book ends with a description of winter ending. The spring rains come and all of the snow from the winter melts away. And when it melts, it reveals the body of Per Hansa, who died of hypothermia while trying to find a minister or doctor for Hans Olsa.
- Now how's that for a depressing ending?