It is the ancient days of the Persian Empire. Hadassah was content in her quiet life in the Jewish quarter of the city of Babylon with her uncle Mordecai, who had raised her from childhood. But she was old enough to be married, and yet her uncle hadn't arranged a marriage for her.Meanwhile in Shushan, King Ahasuerus' marriage to the vain and selfish Vashti has ended, and a new wife must be found. Why not bring to him the most beautiful women of the kingdom, and let him choose? And so the loveliest young women of the empire are selected in local contests, and Hadassah is among those chosen to go to Shushan to meet the King.But as a Jewess in a foreign land with powerful enemies to her faith, she must conceal her true identity and take the Babylonian name of Esther. Will she find love with a man she has never met? And can she survive in a strict royal court controlled by the evil prime minister Haman, who wants to destroy her people?-Print ed.