Watch War and Peace

Paul Dano, Lily James, James Norton star in this four-part mini-series event.

At the Battle of Borodino, Pierre and Andrei fight on the front line of Russia's greatest struggle against Napoleon. As even Moscow comes under threat from the French army, Natasha and the Rostovs realise they must hurry to pack up the family home and flee the city.

As the French army marches into Moscow, chaos descends on the city.The Rostovs are forced to flee. Natasha is shocked by an unexpected fellow traveller while Sonya is asked to make a huge sacrifice for her family. Traumatised by his experience of battle, Pierre resolves to stay behind and stop Napoleon himself. In the process, he meets a stranger who changes his outlook on life forever.

Napoleon invades Russia and preparations begin for another great battle against him.As the French army marches east, Marya is terrified to discover that her family is in danger and her father is refusing to listen.Natasha falls ill and Pierre helps care for her before making a decision that opens his eyes to the horrors of war. Andrei finds he cannot forgive Natasha, and vows to take revenge on his rival. Meanwhile, Helene struggles to manage a compromising situation.

Pierre gets a firsthand look at the war but proves to be largely useless on the battlefield. The battle with Napoleon is fierce and costly for the Russians, but Napoleon is forced to withdraw his army and regroup. Andrei suffers a great injury. Natasha opens up her home to the wounded soldiers as the Rostovs prepare to flee. Pierre is shackled and brought before a French general. In Mytishchi, the Rostovs take shelter at a cottage, and Natasha is unexpectedly reunited with Andrei. Unaware Pierre is held captive and can't answer her wishes to grant her an annulment, Helene cannot hide her pregnancy much longer. Denisov and Dolokhov rescue a band of prisoners, including Pierre, from the French. The harsh winter foils Napoleon, and Kutuzov victoriously chases the French out of Russia.

On a Rostov family trip to Moscow, Natasha starts to doubt Andrei's love for her. Natasha later meets Helene and Anatole at the opera and finds herself quickly charmed by Anatole and tells Mayra she wants to break off her engagement to Andrei. Hearing of the incident, Pierre threatens to kill Anatole if he doesn't leave Moscow immediately. Suffering extreme heartbreak, Pierre attempts to comfort Natasha, but is unable to tell her how much he truly loves her. As French army approaches Russia, Andrei advises his father to leave for Moscow before Napoleon reaches Bald Hills, which Bolkonsky defiantly refuses. Prince Bolkonsky suffers a stroke and Marya finds herself unable to flee. Nikolai offers his assistance to escort her to Moscow. Pierre arrives in Borodino to assist in the Russian effort and seeks to convince Andrei to make things work with Natasha.

Despite having never fired a pistol in his life, Pierre wins the duel over Dolokhov. Furious with Helene, Pierre tells her he is leaving her. Andrei returns home from war as his wife Lise is about to give birth to their son. Nikolai invites his Dolokhov to recover at his family's estate. When Pierre visits Andrei, he finds his old friend is filled with remorse and is disillusioned by the war. Prince Bolkonsky sends Andrei to Count Rostov to convince him to contribute more to the militia and meets Natasha for the first time and the sparks fly between them at a ball.

After Napoleon's invasion of Austria, Pierre Bezukhov inherits his father's fortune, leaving him at the mercy of fortune seekers, especially Helene Kuragin. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky goes off to war, leaving his pregnant wife at home while Natasha Rostova is left worrying about her brother Nikolai who has also gone off to fight in the war.