Zoya is a novel written by Danielle Steele. Zoya Konstantinovna Ossupov is a Russian countess, a young cousin to Czar Nicholas II. Escaping the Russian Revolution with her grandmother and a loyal retainer, she arrives in Paris, penniless, where she must carve a new life for herself and her loved ones. There, she joins Diaghilev's

Sergei Diaghilev

Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev , usually referred to outside of Russia as Serge, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes, from which many famous dancers and choreographers would arise.-Early life and career:...

 Ballet Russe. Against the wishes of her grandmother, who objects to consorting with those outside her class, she meets and falls in love with American GI Clayton Andrews. After World War I, they marry and move to America, where Zoya faces many hardships and joy in her life. She struggles through the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

 and World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, then meets and falls for millionaire cloth merchant, Simon Hirsch.

In the TV movie version, Zoya is portrayed by Melissa Gilbert

Melissa Gilbert

Melissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...

-Boxleitner. Her husband Clayton Andrews is portrayed by her real life husband Bruce Boxleitner.