At the centre of it all stands Pierre Bezukhov (Paul Dano), a hot-headed newcomer in Russian society, brimming with ideas but hopelessly lost as he seeks meaning in his life. His sincere good nature is a comfort to his friend Andrei Bolkonsky (James Norton), a cynical prince who is sick of his stifling marriage and longs for glory on the field of battle.

Both their fates are bound to the beautiful, captivating and kind-hearted Natasha Rostova (Lily James) – only a teenager when the series begins, but desperate to grow up and experience the world. Over eight years of peace and war that will change Russia and its people forever, we meet a vast cast of unforgettable characters, from peasants and soldiers to society hostesses and even Napoleon himself. But again and again, through marriages and affairs, battlefields and ballrooms, births and deaths, we will keep returning to Pierre, Andrei and Natasha as they confront life’s great questions of love and destiny.

BBC