Hansel sees the remains of Magda’s burned hut and knows he must hide in the woods with Gretel. Gretel reluctantly follows him. They reach the hidden shelter. Soon, the Oberführer also arrives at the shelter with soldiers and Halina. The soldiers throw a grenade into the shelter. Halina faints, and the Nazis depart. The narrator reveals that Hansel and Gretel were not in the shelter. Instead, they are hiding nearby. After Halina awakens and returns to the village, Hansel and Gretel begin walking away from Piaski. They see the partisans from a distance without realizing that their father is among them.

Telek and Nelka look for Magda and the children. They find the burned hut and the destroyed shelter. Telek sneaks into the village in search of information. Feliks tells him about the killing of Father Piotr and the burning of the hut. Feliks believes that Magda and the children have all been taken to camps. Nelka is devastated and wants to search for them, but Telek convinces her that they are already dead. Telek and Nelka resolve to leave Poland together.

The Russian encourages the Mechanik to stay with the partisans instead of leaving them to search for his family.