"Nettle" by Dakha Taratorina, summary

This book is a captivating story about a young herbalist caught between two conflicting nations. Written in 2024, the novel skillfully blends elements of Slavic folklore with gritty realism, telling a story of duty, love, and ancient magic. The work blends the difficult everyday life of fictional countries with the characters’ profound personal experiences, telling a story of growing up and embracing one’s own power.

In 2025, the novel won the prestigious Blade Award in the Action-Packed Fiction category and was also longlisted for the Electronic Letter literary award.

The plot and attack on the border

The events unfold in the village of Tyapenki. The settlement is located on the very edge of the Middle Lands, bordering the drought-scorched steppe known as the Dead Lands. The main character, Nettle, lives alone. The locals avoid her because of a strange affliction. If anyone touches her against their will, the attacker suffers severe burns. Dola’s mother constantly scolds her daughter, considering this gift a shameful illness. Her friend Lassa is the only one who isn’t afraid to communicate with the herbalist.

One day, Prince Vlas rides through the village with his small retinue. The spoiled middle heir spots Krapiva in a wheat field. Unaccustomed to being refused, Vlas attacks the herbalist and attempts to force himself on her. The girl fights her off, and the prince suffers terrible injuries from her curse. The youth’s body is covered in itchy blisters. Voivode Dubrava Nesmeyanich and the village elder Matka Sveya carry the ailing Vlas to the village hall. Sveya persuades the herbalist to prepare healing potions for the noble guest. The prince comes to his senses and demands Krapiva be given to him as his junior wife, threatening reprisals against the village.

Suddenly, a detachment of nomads arrives at the outskirts. Shlyakhi from the Withered Oak tribe, led by the stern chieftain Strepet, are accustomed to collecting tribute here every autumn. A young steppe dweller named Shatai sneaks up to Krapiva’s hut. He accidentally sees the girl washing herself and is immediately captivated by her. Shatai resolves to protect the fair-haired beauty at any cost.

That night, Vlas and his warriors ambush the resting nomads. A bloody battle ensues. The Middle War warriors quickly flee to their homes, looting. The steppe dwellers brutally murder the locals, including the village’s most handsome man, Kholodka. Vlas is seriously wounded and captured by the Shlyakhi. Krapiva, fearing the vengeance of the powerful Posadnik Tur — Vlas’s father — asks Shatai to take her with him. The girl hopes to save the prince and protect her Tyapenka family from destruction.

Captivity and the Dead Lands

The tribe retreats into the dry steppe. The journey is difficult for the fugitives. Nettle heals the wounded Shlyakhs, gradually earning the respect of the nomads. Shatai cares for a captive girl and protects her from cruel tribesmen, including the vicious warrior Brun. It turns out the young man doesn’t know his real parents. Many years ago, Strepet found the exhausted boy in the steppe and raised him as a private soldier around the small fire.

Vlas suffers humiliation. The steppe dwellers lead him by a rope. The prince suffers from a stomach wound infected by a parasite — an underground glutton. Vlas nearly dies of fever. Nettle uses a hidden gift — she hears the song of the earth. The girl coaxes the parched soil to sprout healing thyme. The herb saves Vlas’s life, and the prince begins to view the brazen healer differently. Gradually, a rivalry for Nettle’s attention develops between Vlas and Shatai.

Shatai asks Streppet to unite him with Krapiva in marriage. The chieftain refuses. It turns out that Streppet intends to give the middle prince and the herbalist as a gift to the Great Chieftain, nicknamed the Snake. This tyrant has enslaved almost the entire steppe and threatens the remnants of the Withered Oak tribe. Shatai, unwilling to accept this injustice, challenges Streppet to a duel in the sacred Circle. The youth fights bravely but loses to the experienced chieftain.

That night, Shatai frees Vlas. All three escape from the camp on a single horse. A pursuit is organized, led by Nardo and Brun. To escape certain death, the fugitives flee east, crossing the border of the Empty Lands. Their pursuers, afraid to venture into the lifeless desert, return to Strepet.

Empty Lands and the Steppe Witch

The empty lands drain the travelers of their last breath. The steppe unleashes a huge swarm of predatory midges. The men fight back desperately, but their strength is fading. Exhausted by the heat and stings, Krapiva, Vlas, and Shatai fall onto the scorching sand. They are found by a local guardian, the steppe witch Baigal.

The Force Awakens

Baigal carries the young people to her leather tent. The sorceress gives them a herbal infusion and reveals the truth to Krapivka. The girl carries within her the blood of Rozhanitsa, the great goddess. The burning touch is not a disease, but a powerful gift, controlled by the herbalist’s will. Krapivka conquers her inner fear and realizes her strength. A pattern of intertwined nettle leaves appears vividly on her shoulders and chest.

Under the influence of the potion and the ancient magic of the steppe, the three indulge in passion in a hot spring. According to steppe custom, intimacy in the sacred waters binds them in an unbreakable bond of marriage. Nettle accepts both men as her husbands. Shatai and Vlas end their feud and agree to share the girl’s love. From now on, they are ready to protect her with their own lives.

Return to Tyapenki and the battle with the Serpent

Baigal gives the travelers exotic riding birds. The trio quickly reaches Tyapenki. In the village, Krapiva reconciles with her mother, Dola, and her father, Dejan. The girl learns the painful secret of her birth: Dola was once raped by bandits, and Dejan raised Krapiva as his own daughter. The healer forgives her parents for their past offenses. Vlas also learns a family secret: his real father is Voivode Dubrava Nesmeyanich, not Posadnik Tur.

Troops soon converge on the border. The mayor brings a fresh army to Vlas’s rescue. The Serpent’s countless army follows suit. With him rides the humble Strepet and his men.

Vlas comes out to meet the Serpent and offers his own head for a truce. Strepet refuses to execute the repentant prince. Then the treacherous warrior Brun stabs the old leader in the ribs. The Serpent declares his absolute power. The great battle begins.

Vlas and Shatai fight back to back. Shlyakh kills the traitor Brun in a fair duel. The friends then attempt to defeat the Serpent, but the Great Chieftain outsmarts them. The Serpent mocks Shatai and reveals that he is his real father. The cruel ruler personally dealt with Nardin, the young man’s adoptive mother.

Suddenly, a terrible thunderstorm erupts. The wrath of the Rozhanitsa collapses the sacred hill right on the fighting warriors. A huge landslide buries most of the invading army. The Tyapenki miraculously escape destruction.

The end of the war and a double wedding

The snake survives under the rubble. Shatai finds his father in the tent. A deadly battle ensues between them. Nettle uses her newfound gift to burn the tyrant to the bone. The final blow is dealt by the slave Lada — Shatai’s biological mother. The slave kills the Great Chief, freeing her son from the burden of patricide.

The surviving steppe dwellers recognize Shatai as their new leader. Vlas refuses to inherit power in the capital and decides to remain on the border with his sworn brothers and wife. The Middle Lands and the steppe conclude a long-awaited peace. The warring peoples bury their dead in a common burial mound, and the crippled old man, Krivoy, voluntarily joins the funeral pyre with Strepet.

Several months later, a lavish wedding takes place in Tyapenki. Krapiva, dressed in the dress given to her by Baigal, officially marries Vlas and Shatai. The celebration unites the former enemies. As night falls, the grooms peacefully share a bed with their beloved wife in the village barn, blessing the coming harvest.