Taras Bulba

Set in the fifteenth-century Ukrainian steppes, the story takes place among the Zaporozhian Cossacks, a fiercely independent warrior society along the Dnieper River. These Cossacks govern themselves through elected leaders, assemble rapidly for war, and disperse again in peacetime, loosely subject to the distant authority of the Polish crown.

Taras Bulba, an old Cossack warrior, greets his two sons upon their return from the Royal Seminary of Kief by mocking their scholarly garments. He provokes the elder son, Ostap, into a fistfight and is delighted by the young man's fighting spirit. Dismissing formal education as worthless, Taras announces he will take both sons immediately to Zaporozhe, the fortified camp of the Cossack host known as the Setch. Their mother, a worn, long-suffering woman, weeps at the news. Taras summons his officers and his old comrade, sub-chief Dmitro Tovkatch, to present his sons and orders Tovkatch to bring reinforcements when called. Their mother blesses them, hangs holy pictures around their necks, and clings to them desperately as they ride away.

As the three cross the steppe, the narrator reveals the brothers' contrasting temperaments. Ostap initially resisted his studies, running away repeatedly until threats forced him to become diligent and develop a steadfast, stoic character. Andrii, the younger brother, learned more willingly and harbored romantic longings that Cossack culture considered shameful before a man had seen battle. A flashback recounts a formative episode: while wandering the streets of Kief, Andrii looked up to see a stunningly beautiful young woman, the daughter of the Waiwode (provincial governor) of Koven, laughing at him from a window. He later climbed into her bedroom, where she playfully adorned him with jewelry before a knock interrupted them. Her Tatar servant led him out, but he was caught and beaten. Andrii saw the Polish lady once more at church before the Waiwode departed Kief, and her memory haunts him during the ride.

After three days, they reach the Setch, which consists of over 60 kurens, large barracks each functioning as a semi-independent unit, spread across an open plain. The brothers spend a week immersed in its culture of revelry and freedom, and both distinguish themselves through bravery and skill. Dissatisfied with peacetime idleness, Taras schemes to replace the Koschevoi, the Setch's head chief, who refuses to break a peace treaty. Through manipulation, Taras forces the chief's resignation and steers the election of Kirdyanga, an old, pliable comrade.

Taras and Kirdyanga conspire to incite war, but before their scheme fully unfolds, a ferryboat arrives carrying ragged Cossacks who report atrocities in the Polish-controlled Ukrainian territories: Christian churches pledged to Jewish creditors, Orthodox Christians forced into servitude, and the Ukrainian hetman (military leader) roasted alive in Warsaw. The crowd erupts in fury and attacks the Jewish quarter. Taras saves one Jew, Yankel, who claims to have known Taras's late brother. The entire army resolves to march into Poland. As they depart, Yankel joins with a wagon of supplies for sale.

The Zaporozhian advance spreads terror across southwest Poland. Ostap and Andrii mature into formidable warriors: Ostap demonstrates cool tactical leadership, while Andrii fights with reckless, impulsive bravery. The army reaches Dubno, a wealthy, well-fortified city whose garrison repulses their initial assault. The Koschevoi orders a siege. Tovkatch arrives with over 4,000 reinforcements and a blessing from the brothers' mother.

One night, a gaunt, veiled figure appears before the restless Andrii: the Tatar servant of the Polish lady from Kief. She reveals that the Waiwode is now governor of Dubno, and his starving daughter begs Andrii for bread. His old passion reignites. He gathers loaves, steals a sack of white bread from under the sleeping Ostap, and slips past Taras, who stirs and mutters that women will lead Andrii to no good. The Tatar leads him through a hidden underground passage into the city.

Inside, Andrii encounters mass starvation: bodies in the streets and a madman who dies after desperately eating a loaf. He reaches the Polish lady's chamber. She has transformed from the giddy girl of Kief into a breathtaking woman. Overwhelmed, Andrii declares his love, renounces his father, brother, and comrades, and proclaims the Ukraine is no longer his country. They embrace. The Tatar bursts in announcing that a Polish relief force has entered the city with provisions and Zaporozhian prisoners. The narrator pronounces Andrii's doom: He is lost to Cossack chivalry forever.

The relief force entered through a gate guarded by Cossacks who were passed out drunk. The Koschevoi regroups the army. Yankel, who slipped into the city to collect a debt, tells Taras he saw Andrii dressed in gold, riding among the Poles, having gone over to the enemy for the Waiwode's daughter. Taras is enraged but accepts the truth.

A fierce battle erupts outside the walls. Ostap avenges a fallen hetman by capturing the Polish officer responsible, and the Oumansky kuren elects Ostap as their new leader despite his youth. Taras stampedes oxen into the Polish ranks, and the enemy is driven back behind the walls.

News arrives that Tatars have plundered the Setch. The army divides: One half pursues the Tatars, the other stays under Taras to continue the siege. Taras rouses his remaining men with toasts and a stirring speech on the sacred nature of Cossack brotherhood, arguing it surpasses bonds of blood. The Poles attack. In devastating combat, several beloved Cossack leaders fall, including the elder Kasyan Bovdug and the hetman Kukubenko. Ostap leads a final charge that routs the Poles.

As the enemy retreats, Andrii rides out at the head of a hussar band. Taras orders Cossacks to lure him into the forest, then seizes his horse. He tells his trembling son that since he gave Andrii life, he will also take it. Andrii's lips move, but the only name he utters is the Polish lady's. Taras shoots him dead. Before Taras can grieve, fresh Polish reinforcements attack. Ostap is overwhelmed and captured. Taras fights toward him but is struck unconscious.

Tovkatch carries the wounded Taras back to the Setch and nurses him for six weeks. Taras recovers but is profoundly changed, sitting alone on the shore of the Black Sea repeating Ostap's name. He seeks out Yankel and offers him five thousand ducats to smuggle him to Warsaw, where Ostap is imprisoned. Disguised under a load of bricks, Taras enters the city. Attempts to bribe the prison guards fail. At the public execution, Ostap walks at the head of the prisoners. His bones are broken while the crowd listens in silence. He endures without a groan until his strength fails and he cries out for his father. Taras's voice rings through the silent square. Cavalry searches the crowd, but Taras has vanished.

A massive Cossack uprising of 120,000 sweeps the Ukraine. Taras commands the fiercest band, raiding across Poland, burning 18 towns and nearly 40 churches, declaring each act a memorial for Ostap. Eventually cornered at a ruined castle on the Dniester, Taras orders a breakout but pauses to search for his dropped pipe. Nearly 30 Poles seize him, chain him to a dead tree, nail his hands, and pile wood at the base to burn him alive. From his height, Taras spots four boats hidden along the riverbank and shouts directions to his men, who ride their horses over a cliff into the river, swim to the boats, and row to safety. As flames rise around him, Taras shouts farewell, prophesying that a czar will arise from Russian soil before whom no power will stand. The Cossacks row down the Dniester, speaking of their hetman as they go.