The Bronze Horseman is a story based on real events, written by Paullina Simons. It is the first book in a series of three books called the Bronze Horseman Trilogy.

The story starts on June 22, 1941, the day Germany attacked the Soviet Union during World War II, known as Operation Barbarossa. A girl named Tatiana Metanova, who is almost seventeen years old, meets a handsome and mysterious soldier named Alexander Belov from the Red Army. Their relationship grows during the difficult times of the Siege of Leningrad.

Synopsis

Tatiana Metanova wakes up on June 22, 1941, the day before her 17th birthday. Her older sister, Dasha, returns home and says she is in love. That same morning, Vyacheslav Molotov announces that Germany has invaded the Soviet Union. Tatiana's parents send her twin brother, Pasha, to a boys' camp to avoid the army drafting him. Tatiana, who is young and inexperienced, feels excited about the war. While her family focuses on sending Pasha safely, Tatiana is asked to buy food and supplies. She finds little to buy and buys a scoop of ice cream, which makes her miss her bus. While waiting for the next bus, she notices a Red Army officer watching her. He crosses the street and introduces himself as Lieutenant Alexander Belov.

After an awkward introduction, Alexander and Tatiana become interested in each other. He helps her buy food at the Officers' store. Alexander's friend, Dimitri, insists on helping them carry the boxes home. When they arrive at Tatiana's apartment, they learn that Dimitri is the man Dasha has fallen in love with. Tatiana feels disappointed but does not want to hurt her sister. The next day, Alexander meets Tatiana outside the Kirov factory where she works. After weeks of walking her home, their attraction becomes clear. Tatiana asks Alexander to stay with Dasha and not break her sister's heart. Alexander shares more about himself, telling Tatiana he is an American who moved to the Soviet Union with his parents, who are now dead. After weeks of tension, Alexander ends his relationship with Dasha and stops visiting the Metanovs and Tatiana.

The Metanovs are upset about Pasha, as they cannot contact the camp and hear it has been attacked. Tatiana overhears her parents say they would have preferred to lose her and decides to volunteer at the front to find Pasha and bring him home. When she arrives at the Luga front, the camp is empty. Tatiana takes shelter in a bombed building and is seriously injured. Dasha asks Alexander to find her, and he takes Tatiana back to Leningrad, where they share their first kiss.

In Leningrad, Alexander cannot stay away, but Tatiana refuses to tell Dasha about their relationship. One night, a drunk Alexander visits Tatiana in the hospital, and they become more intimate. Alexander tells Tatiana about his parents and how he lives under a false name, explaining that Dimitri knows his true identity. Tatiana's grandparents leave for Molotov, but Tatiana cannot travel due to her broken leg. This leaves her, Dasha, and her parents trapped in Leningrad during the Siege of Leningrad.

The lack of food and harsh winter kill many people, including most of the Metanovs. Dasha finally admits she knows about Tatiana and Alexander's relationship. In the end, only Dasha and Tatiana survive, both in poor health. Alexander finds a convoy to help the sisters leave Leningrad. To keep his promise to Tatiana, he agrees to tell Dasha he has always loved her and never Tatiana. After safely reaching Kobona, Dasha dies of illness. Tatiana buries her sister in an ice hole and travels to Lazarevo to find her grandparents.

Months later, Alexander is worried about Tatiana and Dasha, as he has not heard from them. After a month of leave, he goes to Lazarevo and finds Tatiana. He learns of Dasha's death and discovers Tatiana has lost her grandparents and is recovering from tuberculosis and pneumonia. Tatiana is distrustful but eventually reveals she doubted whether Alexander truly loved her or Dasha. They reconcile and later have their first romantic encounter. The next morning, Alexander proposes, and they marry on Tatiana's 18th birthday. They spend a month together in a cabin near Lazarevo before Alexander returns to the front.

Tatiana, worried about Alexander, goes back to Leningrad to find him. After learning he is safe, she stays and works as a nurse at Grechesky Hospital, wanting to be near him. Alexander is upset but cannot stop her. He returns to the front, fearing Dimitri might expose his secret marriage to Tatiana to the NKVD.

Alexander, now a major, is injured while saving Dr. Matthew Sayers, an American Red Cross doctor. Tatiana convinces the doctor to operate on Alexander and donates blood to save him. Alexander survives and is honored with the Hero of the Soviet Union medal. Tatiana asks Sayers to help them leave the Soviet Union, posing as a Red Cross nurse and Alexander as a Finnish POW. Alexander is worried about the risks, especially after learning Tatiana is pregnant.

Dimitri visits Alexander while he recovers and reveals he knows about the marriage. He threatens to expose Alexander to the NKVD unless he allows Dimitri to flee with them. Dimitri later demands Tatiana be left behind, claiming she might slow them down. Alexander refuses and fights Dimitri, nearly killing him before staff intervene. Knowing his arrest is near, Alexander asks Sayers to tell Tatiana he has died during a promotion to lieutenant colonel, so she will leave without him. He says a final goodbye, telling her to "remember Orbeli."

After Sayers tells Tatiana of Alexander's supposed death, she refuses to believe it but eventually agrees to leave with Sayers and Dimitri, who poses as a Finn. When Dimitri is recognized by border guards, a firefight kills Dimitri and the guards, seriously wounding Sayers. An injured Tatiana drives herself and the doctor to Helsinki, where Sayers dies from his injuries. She then travels to Stockholm, staying for months before sailing to America. Tatiana arrives in Ellis Island in June 1943 and goes into early labor, giving birth to a baby boy named Anthony Alexander Barrington, after his father.

Film adaptation

In late 2009, a movie version of the book was being planned with Andy Tennant as the director. However, production stopped, even though the author had already finished writing the script. By June 2011, the right to make the movie had ended and was not renewed with Andy Tennant’s company because there were disagreements about how the movie script should be written. In 2012, ITA Productions purchased the rights to the book and hired Martyn Hall as the producer and Sash Andranikian as the director. The author completed the movie script in November 2013, and pre-production was planned to start in March 2014, with filming scheduled for early July. However, in December 2023, the author announced that the rights to adapt the book had ended again, citing that some media had a pro-Russian bias as a reason for the lack of interest.