Plot

Zoya Konstantinovna Ossupov was a Russian countess and a young relative of Tsar Nicholas II. After escaping the Russian Revolution with her grandmother and a loyal servant, she arrived in Paris without money. There, she worked to build a new life for herself and her family. She joined Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Despite her grandmother's disapproval of associating with people outside their social class, Zoya met and fell in love with American soldier Clayton Andrews. After World War I, they married and moved to America. There, Zoya experienced both happiness and challenges throughout her life. She endured the hardships of the Great Depression and World War II. Later, she met and became close to wealthy cloth merchant Simon Hirsch, who died in another war.

Adaptation

In the TV movie that was made especially for television and aired on NBC in September 1995, the character Zoya is played by Melissa Gilbert. Her husband, Clayton Andrews, is played by Bruce Boxleitner, who was Melissa Gilbert's husband at that time. Zoya's grandmother, Evgenia, is played by Dame Diana Rigg. Other actors in the movie include Philip Casnoff, David Warner, Denise Alexander, and Jennifer Garner.