Since its first publication in 1869, Leo Tolstoy's classic novel War and Peace has been regarded by many critics as the greatest tale ever written. The author blends its huge cast of characters seamlessly with the history of the invasion of Russia in 1812 by the French Emperor Napoleon, and how it affects Count Pierre Bezhoukov in his ongoing quest for the meaning of life.

Although many dramatists have been intimidated by the book's length and scope, J. Wladimir Bienstock (1868-1933) and Charles Martel were undeterred. Bienstock, whose original Russian name was Vladimir L'vovich Binshtok, made a career out of translating works by Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky into French—and was also a well-known chess player of his day. This 1919 stage adaptation of War and Peace condenses the original plot into five acts and ten scenes, to create a marvelous drama that can reasonably be staged in one evening.