diff --git a/exposed-dao/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/dao/EntityCache.kt b/exposed-dao/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/dao/EntityCache.kt
index 9ad4b73ba0..d4a84a9bc7 100644
--- a/exposed-dao/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/dao/EntityCache.kt
+++ b/exposed-dao/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/dao/EntityCache.kt
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ val Transaction.entityCache: EntityCache by transactionScope { EntityCache(this)
 class EntityCache(private val transaction: Transaction) {
     private var flushingEntities = false
     private var initializingEntities: LinkedIdentityHashSet<Entity<*>> = LinkedIdentityHashSet()
+    internal val pendingInitializationLambdas = IdentityHashMap<Entity<*>, MutableList<(Entity<*>)->Unit>>()
     val data = LinkedHashMap<IdTable<*>, MutableMap<Any, Entity<*>>>()
     internal val inserts = LinkedHashMap<IdTable<*>, MutableSet<Entity<*>>>()
     private val updates = LinkedHashMap<IdTable<*>, MutableSet<Entity<*>>>()
@@ -86,6 +87,8 @@ class EntityCache(private val transaction: Transaction) {
         initializingEntities.remove(entity)
     }
 
+    internal fun isEntityInInitializationState(entity: Entity<*>) = entity in initializingEntities
+
     fun <ID : Comparable<ID>, T : Entity<ID>> scheduleInsert(f: EntityClass<ID, T>, o: T) {
         inserts.getOrPut(f.table) { LinkedIdentityHashSet() }.add(o as Entity<*>)
     }
@@ -199,7 +202,9 @@ class EntityCache(private val transaction: Transaction) {
                     entry.storeWrittenValues()
                     store(entry)
                     transaction.registerChange(entry.klass, entry.id, EntityChangeType.Created)
+                    pendingInitializationLambdas[entry]?.forEach { it(entry) }
                 }
+
                 toFlush = partition.second
             } while (toFlush.isNotEmpty())
         }
diff --git a/exposed-dao/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/dao/InnerTableLink.kt b/exposed-dao/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/dao/InnerTableLink.kt
index 57b0c02889..eea3b2725d 100644
--- a/exposed-dao/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/dao/InnerTableLink.kt
+++ b/exposed-dao/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/dao/InnerTableLink.kt
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ class InnerTableLink<SID : Comparable<SID>, Source : Entity<SID>, ID : Comparabl
     }
 
     override operator fun getValue(o: Source, unused: KProperty<*>): SizedIterable<Target> {
-        if (o.id._value == null) return emptySized()
+        if (o.id._value == null && !o.isNewEntity()) return emptySized()
         val sourceRefColumn = getSourceRefColumn(o)
         val transaction = TransactionManager.currentOrNull()
             ?: return o.getReferenceFromCache(sourceRefColumn)
@@ -59,6 +59,17 @@ class InnerTableLink<SID : Comparable<SID>, Source : Entity<SID>, ID : Comparabl
     }
 
     override fun setValue(o: Source, unused: KProperty<*>, value: SizedIterable<Target>) {
+        val entityCache = TransactionManager.current().entityCache
+        if (entityCache.isEntityInInitializationState(o)) {
+            entityCache.pendingInitializationLambdas.getOrPut(o) { arrayListOf() }.add {
+                setReference(it as Source, unused, value)
+            }
+        } else {
+            setReference(o, unused, value)
+        }
+    }
+
+    private fun setReference(o: Source, unused: KProperty<*>, value: SizedIterable<Target>) {
         val sourceRefColumn = getSourceRefColumn(o)
 
         val tx = TransactionManager.current()
diff --git a/exposed-tests/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/tests/shared/entities/ViaTest.kt b/exposed-tests/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/tests/shared/entities/ViaTest.kt
index 6da2b8519e..01301cccf8 100644
--- a/exposed-tests/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/tests/shared/entities/ViaTest.kt
+++ b/exposed-tests/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/tests/shared/entities/ViaTest.kt
@@ -170,11 +170,12 @@ class ViaTests : DatabaseTestsBase() {
     @Test
     fun testHierarchicalReferences() {
         withTables(NodeToNodes) {
+            addLogger(StdOutSqlLogger)
             val root = Node.new { name = "root" }
             val child1 = Node.new {
                 name = "child1"
+                parents = SizedCollection(root)
             }
-            child1.parents = SizedCollection(root)
 
             assertEquals(0L, root.parents.count())
             assertEquals(1L, root.children.count())