Description
As the Grande Armée of Napoleon pushed the Russians back towards Moscow, Major Orlov, a handsome, aristocratic Staff Officer, knew that the wounded would be abandoned in Smolensk to certain captivity and even death. Although badly injured himself, Orlov's sense of duty impels him to lead a company of wounded Russian soldiers away from the battle-scarred city under cover of night. They leave Smolensk burning in the distance and start their perilous journey to Kaluga and safety. They have not gone far when they come on a deserted inn - deserted except for a young woman, the Countess Irina Barova. She accepts Orlov's offer of help and soon Orlov finds that he has involved himself in something which will change the entire course of his life. Together the band of wounded Russians face problems of disease, of extreme weather conditions, of villages deserted and bridges destroyed and, above all, they face the constant threat of French attack. In this highly readable historical romance, Dinah Dean conveys the spirited air of camaraderie which develops among the wounded men and the growing love of Orlov and Irina Barova in the midst of the vividly recreated horrors of the Napoleonic War.