When Napoleon invades Russia in 1812 it forever changes those engulfed by the violence. Although told on a panoramic scale, War and Peace explores how the chaos of battle, the horror of death and bloodshed, and the expression of love and valor affect the personal lives of three principal characters: the courageous Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, the idealistic Pierre Bezukhov, and the nobly born beauty Natasha Rostov.