Just before the Russian Revolution, Tasia, a young peasant girl, is ordered to kill the Grand Duke Eugen, considered an enemy by the revolutionaries, on the eve of his marriage to Princes Varvara. Because Tasia has fallen in love with Eugen, she deliberately misses when she shoots at him. After the revolution begins, Tasia is taken under the wing of Ivan Petroff, a fellow peasant who loves her. Ivan eventually rises to the rank of general, while Tasia becomes famous as "The Red Dancer of Moscow," a heroine to the revolution. Tasia again encounters Eugen after powerful General Tanaroff arranges for him to be arrested. When Tasia pleads with Ivan for his help, admitting that she loves Eugen, he sacrifices his own love for her and saves Eugen from going before a firing squad.