Publishers: Germany - VOLK UND WELT (1958), Portugal – BLOCH (1974), USA/UK - HIPPOCRENE BOOKS (1972), OCTAGON BOOKS (1978)

The Second Day (Den Vtoroi, sometimes translated as "Out of Chaos") is a day-to-day account of the harsh conditions of life and heroic efforts of workers to overcome nature's resistance as they built a blast furnace in Kuznetsk, Russia. In the novel, a weak dreamer tries to fit in with the more dedicated workers but fails. He becomes complicit in an act of vandalism. Ashamed of his own spiritual bankruptcy, he commits suicide.