The narrator prefaces the story with the image of a crushed, but still living
thistle he finds in a field (a symbol for the main character), after which he begins to tell the story of
Hadji Murat, a renowned guerrilla leader who falls out with his own commander and eventually sides with the Russians, hoping to save his family, who are captives of
Imam Shamil, the Avar leader who abducted his mother, two wives, and five children. He also wants to avenge the deaths of other family members. The story opens with Murat and two of his followers fleeing Shamil, the commander of the Caucasian warriors, who are fighting the Russians. They find refuge at the house of Sado, a loyal supporter of Murat. Villagers learn of his presence, and Murat escapes before they can do him harm. His lieutenant succeeds in making contact with the Russians, who promise to meet Murat. He eventually arrives at the fortress of Vozdvizhenskaya to join the Russian forces, hoping to draw their support to overthrow Shamil and save his family. Before his arrival, a small skirmish occurs with some Chechen and Dagestani mountaineers outside the fortress, and Petrukha Avdeyev, a young Russian soldier, dies in a military hospital from gunshot wounds. Tolstoy makes a chapter-length aside about Petrukha: childless, he volunteered as a conscript in place of his brother, who had a family of his own. Petrukha's father regrets this because he was a dutiful worker compared to his lazy brother. While at Vozdvizhenskaya, Murat befriends Prince Semyon Vorontsov, the
Viceroy's son, his wife Maria and his son, and wins over the good will of the soldiers stationed there. They are at once in awe of his physique and reputation, and enjoy his company, finding him honest and upright. The Vorontsovs give him a present of a watch which fascinates him. On the fifth day of Murat's stay, the governor-general's adjutant,
Mikhail Loris-Melikov arrives with orders to write down Murat's story, and the reader learns some of his history: he was born in the village of
Tselmes and early on became close to the local khans because his mother was the royal family's wet nurse. When he was fifteen some followers of
Muridism came into his village, calling for a holy war (ghazavat) against Russia. Murat declines at first but after a learned man is sent to explain how it will be run, he tentatively agrees. However, in their first confrontation, Shamil—then a lieutenant for the Muslims hostile to the Russians—embarrasses Murat when he goes to speak with the leader
Hamzat. Hamzat eventually launches an attack on the capital of
Khunzakh and kills the pro-Russian khans, taking control of this part of Dagestan. The slaughter of the khans throws Hadji and his brother against Hamzat, and they eventually succeed in tricking and killing him, causing his followers to flee. Unfortunately, Murat's brother is killed as well and Shamil replaces Hamzat as leader. He calls on Murat to join his struggle, but Murat refuses because the blood of his brother and the khans are on Shamil. Once Murat has joined the Russians, who are aware of his position and bargaining strength,, they find him the perfect tool for getting to Shamil. However, Vorontsov's plans are ruined by the War Minister,
Chernyshov, a rival prince who is jealous of him, and Murat has to remain in the fortress because the Tsar is told he might be a spy. The story digresses into a depiction of the Tsar
Nicholas I of Russia, which reveals his lethargic and bitter nature and his egotistical complacency, as well as his contempt for women, his brother-in-law
Frederick William IV of Prussia, and Russian students. The Tsar orders an attack on the mountaineers and Murat remains in the fortress. Meanwhile, Murat's mother, wife and eldest son Yusuf, whom Shamil hold captive, are moved to a more defensible location. Realizing his position (neither trusted by the Russians to lead an army against Shamil, nor able to return to Shamil because he will be killed), Hadji Murat decides to flee the fortress to gather men to save his family. At this point the narrative jumps forward to the arrival of a group of soldiers at the fortress bearing Murat's severed head. Maria Dimitriyevna—the companion of one of the officers and a friend of Murat—comments on the cruelty of men during times of war, calling them 'butchers'. The soldiers then tell the story of Murat's death. He had escaped the fortress and shook off his Russian escort with the help of his five lieutenants. After they escape they come upon a marsh that they are unable to cross, and hide amongst some bushes until the morning. An old man gives away their position and Karganov, the commander of the fortress, the soldiers, and some Cossacks surround the area. Hadji Murat and his men dig in and begin to fire upon the troops, dying valiantly. Hadji himself runs into fire after his men are killed, despite being wounded and plugging up his fatal wounds with cloth. As he fires his last bullet his life flashes before him and the soldiers think he's dead; he gets up for one final struggle and falls to his death. Victorious, the Russian soldiers fall upon and decapitate him. The nightingales, which stopped singing during the battle, begin again, and the narrator ends by recalling the thistle once more. ==Character list==