In the years leading to Napoleon's invasion, members of the Russian aristocracy face a myriad of personal tragedies. After his father dies, Count Pierre Bezukhov (Henry Fonda), a friend of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (Mel Ferrer), receives a substantial inheritance. When he decides to marry, Bezukhov unwisely chooses a conniving princess (Anita Ekberg). As for Bolkonsky, his wife dies during childbirth, after which he falls in love with Natasha Rostova (Audrey Hepburn) but is soon called to war.