Thanks to her dead brother's reckless gambling, Princess Nadya Serova's life has been a hard one. Condemned by his profligacy to a life of poverty in the back streets of Moscow, she can no longer afford even the price of a horse and cart to flee from Napoleon's invading army. It seems that she must walk to safety with her possessions on her back and her only protection must come from Captain Andrei Valyev, who freezes into icy enmity at the mention of her name. Hurt by his cruelty, Nadya is distressed to find herself falling in love with him, especially when he so clearly loves Tatya, the very friend who has given her shelter!