Esther the Queen is a dramatized version of the story of Esther based upon The Book of Esther in the Bible. When King Ahasuerus rejects his wife Vashti for disobeying his command to come before a large crowd at a feast, Esther is chosen as queen to replace her. In her position of influence, Esther is able to save her people from destruction. Esther avoids getting involved in political matters, but Mordecai the Jew tells her that she was born "for such a time as this," and that it was her duty to speak to the king about persecution of her people. Haman, the king's assistant, desires to destroy the Jewish people. Esther puts her life at risk in order to expose an evil plot. She saves her people from destruction. This modern adaptation is by Rolf McEwen.