The ball that Natasha attends is held by the Rostovs, her family. At the ball, she immediately catches the eye of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who is struck by her beauty and innocence. Andrei, who is married but unhappy in his marriage, finds himself drawn to Natasha and begins to court her.
Meanwhile, the Rostovs' financial troubles lead Natasha's father to demand that Andrei wait until he can secure his family's finances before they marry. This puts a strain on Andrei and Natasha's relationship, and Andrei ultimately decides to travel abroad.
Natasha is heartbroken by Andrei's departure and desperately misses him. However, she is soon distracted by the arrival of Anatol Kuragin, a rakish and charming officer in the Russian army. Anatol begins to court Natasha, and she falls head over heels in love with him, forgetting all about Andrei.
Anatol convinces Natasha to elope with him to Turkey, but at the last minute, she has a change of heart and realizes that she still loves Andrei. She breaks things off with Anatol, but it's too late – news of their plans to elope has reached Andrei, and he is devastated.
Andrei calls off their engagement, leaving Natasha heartbroken once again. Pierre Bezukhov, a close friend of both Natasha and Andrei, tries to comfort her, but suddenly confesses that he is in love with her. The movie ends with Natasha unsure of what her future holds.