Hadji Murat by Leo Tolstoy. Short summary

5 seconds

Hadji Murat goes into the service of the tsar in the hope that the Russians will free his family, held hostage by Shamil. But they only promise. Then Hadji Murat decides to free them himself and dies.

1 minute

Hadji Murat goes over to the side of the Russians. Shamil, the leader of the Chechen rebels, promised a reward on his head. Hadji Murat arrives in the aul Makhket at the house of Sado. Officer Panov’s detachment escorts Hadji Murat and his men to the Vozdvizhenskaya fortress.

The Chechen meets with Prince Vorontsov. Despite successful negotiations, Khadzhi-Murat does not believe him. He departs for Tiflis to negotiate with Vorontsov senior. He promises the Prince he will hand over all of Dagestan and Chechnya to the Tsar if the Russians release his family from captivity.

A military operation in Chechnya begins. The Russians smash up the aul, foul the fountain and the mosque. The Chechens hate them and join Shamil’s troops. He lets them know that if Hadji Murat does not surrender, his mother will be disgraced and his son Yusuf will be blinded.

The renegade decides to free his family, who are being held captive in Vedeno. He kills the Russian escorts and crosses the river. But he is killed in a skirmish with Haji-Agi’s detachment. Hadji Murat’s severed head is carried around the Russian fortresses.