Pierre 's life changes after he becomes the sole heir to his father 's vast estate, and his position in society is changed from that of an illegitimate son to the new Count Bezukhov. His inability to control his emotions and sexual passions lead him into a marriage with the vapid but sensually beautiful Princess Hélène, a match which her self - serving father, Prince Vasily, sets up to secure his access to Pierre 's newly acquired vast fortune. Hélène is not in love with Pierre, and has affairs. From jealousy, Pierre shoots her suspected lover, Dolokhov, in a duel. He is distraught at having committed such a crime and eventually separates from Hélène and then becomes a Freemason. His madcap escape into the city of Moscow and his subsequent obsessive belief that he is destined to be Napoleon 's assassin show his submission to irrational impulses. Yet his search for meaning in his life and for how to overcome his emotions are a central theme of the novel. He eventually finds love and peace with Natasha Rostova and their marriage is perhaps the culmination of a life of moral and spiritual questioning.
who does pierre marry in war and peace
Princess Hélène Natasha Rostova