The novel chronicles the history of the French invasion of Russia and the impact of the Napoleonic era on Tsarist society through the stories of five Russian aristocratic families. Portions of an earlier version, titled The Year 1805, were serialized in The Russian Messenger from 1865 to 1867. The novel was first published in its entirety in 1869. Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, considered one of the finest novels ever written, chronicles Napoleon's invasion of Russia during the early 19th century. A linked table of contents is included to navigate this massive epic.