diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/EntityManager.php b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/EntityManager.php
index b951e355e..b3583de8e 100644
--- a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/EntityManager.php
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/EntityManager.php
@@ -325,13 +325,17 @@ class EntityManager implements ObjectManager
      * This effectively synchronizes the in-memory state of managed objects with the
      * database.
      *
+     * If an entity is explicitly passed to this method only this entity and
+     * the cascade-persist semantics + scheduled inserts/removals are synchronized.
+     *
+     * @param object $entity
      * @throws Doctrine\ORM\OptimisticLockException If a version check on an entity that
      *         makes use of optimistic locking fails.
      */
-    public function flush()
+    public function flush($entity = null)
     {
         $this->errorIfClosed();
-        $this->unitOfWork->commit();
+        $this->unitOfWork->commit($entity);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/UnitOfWork.php b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/UnitOfWork.php
index 8f5977e5d..8c7273856 100644
--- a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/UnitOfWork.php
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/UnitOfWork.php
@@ -253,12 +253,18 @@ class UnitOfWork implements PropertyChangedListener
      * 3) All collection deletions
      * 4) All collection updates
      * 5) All entity deletions
-     * 
+     *
+     * @param object $entity
+     * @return void
      */
-    public function commit()
+    public function commit($entity = null)
     {
         // Compute changes done since last commit.
-        $this->computeChangeSets();
+        if ($entity === null) {
+            $this->computeChangeSets();
+        } else {
+            $this->computeSingleEntityChangeSet($entity);
+        }
 
         if ( ! ($this->entityInsertions ||
                 $this->entityDeletions ||
@@ -346,6 +352,61 @@ class UnitOfWork implements PropertyChangedListener
         $this->scheduledForDirtyCheck =
         $this->orphanRemovals = array();
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Compute the changesets of all entities scheduled for insertion
+     *
+     * @return void
+     */
+    private function computeScheduleInsertsChangeSets()
+    {
+        foreach ($this->entityInsertions as $entity) {
+            $class = $this->em->getClassMetadata(get_class($entity));
+            $this->computeChangeSet($class, $entity);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Only flush the given entity according to a ruleset that keeps the UoW consistent.
+     *
+     * 1. All entities scheduled for insertion, (orphan) removals and changes in collections are processed as well!
+     * 2. Read Only entities are skipped.
+     * 3. Proxies are skipped.
+     * 4. Only if entity is properly managed.
+     *
+     * @param  object $entity
+     * @return void
+     */
+    private function computeSingleEntityChangeSet($entity)
+    {
+        if ( ! $this->isInIdentityMap($entity) ) {
+            throw new \InvalidArgumentException("Entity has to be managed for single computation " . self::objToStr($entity));
+        }
+
+        $class = $this->em->getClassMetadata(get_class($entity));
+
+        if ($class->isChangeTrackingDeferredImplicit()) {
+            $this->persist($entity);
+        }
+
+        // Compute changes for INSERTed entities first. This must always happen even in this case.
+        $this->computeScheduleInsertsChangeSets();
+
+        if ( $class->isReadOnly ) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Ignore uninitialized proxy objects
+        if ($entity instanceof Proxy && ! $entity->__isInitialized__) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Only MANAGED entities that are NOT SCHEDULED FOR INSERTION are processed here.
+        $oid = spl_object_hash($entity);
+        if ( ! isset($this->entityInsertions[$oid]) && isset($this->entityStates[$oid])) {
+            $this->computeChangeSet($class, $entity);
+        }
+    }
     
     /**
      * Executes any extra updates that have been scheduled.
@@ -526,10 +587,7 @@ class UnitOfWork implements PropertyChangedListener
     public function computeChangeSets()
     {
         // Compute changes for INSERTed entities first. This must always happen.
-        foreach ($this->entityInsertions as $entity) {
-            $class = $this->em->getClassMetadata(get_class($entity));
-            $this->computeChangeSet($class, $entity);
-        }
+        $this->computeScheduleInsertsChangeSets();
 
         // Compute changes for other MANAGED entities. Change tracking policies take effect here.
         foreach ($this->identityMap as $className => $entities) {
diff --git a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/BasicFunctionalTest.php b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/BasicFunctionalTest.php
index a2e2d05dd..feef41c76 100644
--- a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/BasicFunctionalTest.php
+++ b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Functional/BasicFunctionalTest.php
@@ -1030,4 +1030,173 @@ class BasicFunctionalTest extends \Doctrine\Tests\OrmFunctionalTestCase
 
         $this->assertEquals(\Doctrine\ORM\UnitOfWork::STATE_DETACHED, $unitOfWork->getEntityState($address));
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @group DDC-720
+     */
+    public function testFlushSingleManagedEntity()
+    {
+        $user = new CmsUser;
+        $user->name = 'Dominik';
+        $user->username = 'domnikl';
+        $user->status = 'developer';
+
+        $this->_em->persist($user);
+        $this->_em->flush();
+
+        $user->status = 'administrator';
+        $this->_em->flush($user);
+        $this->_em->clear();
+
+        $user = $this->_em->find(get_class($user), $user->id);
+        $this->assertEquals('administrator', $user->status);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @group DDC-720
+     */
+    public function testFlushSingleUnmanagedEntity()
+    {
+        $user = new CmsUser;
+        $user->name = 'Dominik';
+        $user->username = 'domnikl';
+        $user->status = 'developer';
+
+        $this->setExpectedException('InvalidArgumentException', 'Entity has to be managed for single computation');
+        $this->_em->flush($user);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @group DDC-720
+     */
+    public function testFlushSingleAndNewEntity()
+    {
+        $user = new CmsUser;
+        $user->name = 'Dominik';
+        $user->username = 'domnikl';
+        $user->status = 'developer';
+
+        $this->_em->persist($user);
+        $this->_em->flush();
+
+        $otherUser = new CmsUser;
+        $otherUser->name = 'Dominik2';
+        $otherUser->username = 'domnikl2';
+        $otherUser->status = 'developer';
+
+        $user->status = 'administrator';
+
+        $this->_em->persist($otherUser);
+        $this->_em->flush($user);
+
+        $this->assertTrue($this->_em->contains($otherUser), "Other user is contained in EntityManager");
+        $this->assertTrue($otherUser->id > 0, "other user has an id");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @group DDC-720
+     */
+    public function testFlushAndCascadePersist()
+    {
+        $user = new CmsUser;
+        $user->name = 'Dominik';
+        $user->username = 'domnikl';
+        $user->status = 'developer';
+
+        $this->_em->persist($user);
+        $this->_em->flush();
+
+        $address = new CmsAddress();
+        $address->city = "Springfield";
+        $address->zip = "12354";
+        $address->country = "Germany";
+        $address->street = "Foo Street";
+        $address->user = $user;
+        $user->address = $address;
+
+        $this->_em->flush($user);
+
+        $this->assertTrue($this->_em->contains($address), "Other user is contained in EntityManager");
+        $this->assertTrue($address->id > 0, "other user has an id");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @group DDC-720
+     */
+    public function testFlushSingleAndNoCascade()
+    {
+        $user = new CmsUser;
+        $user->name = 'Dominik';
+        $user->username = 'domnikl';
+        $user->status = 'developer';
+
+        $this->_em->persist($user);
+        $this->_em->flush();
+
+        $article1 = new CmsArticle();
+        $article1->topic = 'Foo';
+        $article1->text = 'Foo Text';
+        $article1->author = $user;
+        $user->articles[] = $article1;
+
+        $this->setExpectedException('InvalidArgumentException', "A new entity was found through the relationship 'Doctrine\Tests\Models\CMS\CmsUser#articles'");
+        $this->_em->flush($user);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @group DDC-720
+     */
+    public function testProxyIsIgnored()
+    {
+        $user = new CmsUser;
+        $user->name = 'Dominik';
+        $user->username = 'domnikl';
+        $user->status = 'developer';
+
+        $this->_em->persist($user);
+        $this->_em->flush();
+        $this->_em->clear();
+
+        $user = $this->_em->getReference(get_class($user), $user->id);
+
+        $otherUser = new CmsUser;
+        $otherUser->name = 'Dominik2';
+        $otherUser->username = 'domnikl2';
+        $otherUser->status = 'developer';
+
+        $this->_em->persist($otherUser);
+        $this->_em->flush($user);
+
+        $this->assertTrue($this->_em->contains($otherUser), "Other user is contained in EntityManager");
+        $this->assertTrue($otherUser->id > 0, "other user has an id");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @group DDC-720
+     */
+    public function testFlushSingleSaveOnlySingle()
+    {
+        $user = new CmsUser;
+        $user->name = 'Dominik';
+        $user->username = 'domnikl';
+        $user->status = 'developer';
+        $this->_em->persist($user);
+
+        $user2 = new CmsUser;
+        $user2->name = 'Dominik';
+        $user2->username = 'domnikl2';
+        $user2->status = 'developer';
+        $this->_em->persist($user2);
+
+        $this->_em->flush();
+
+        $user->status = 'admin';
+        $user2->status = 'admin';
+
+        $this->_em->flush($user);
+        $this->_em->clear();
+
+        $user2 = $this->_em->find(get_class($user2), $user2->id);
+        $this->assertEquals('developer', $user2->status);
+    }
 }