The Thirteenth Day: The Story of Esther

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Aired as a one-hour special on ABC-TV, this drama tells the Old Testament story of a young queen who must defend both herself and her people after a power-mad advisor convinces her husband that she must die. The story has Jewish girl Esther marrying King Ahasuerus, whose minister Haman tries to kill him. The plot is thwarted by a Jew. To get revenge, Haman convinces the king that the Jews are a threat to his throne, although neither man knows that beautiful young Esther is also Jewish. Since the king's order to kill her people cannot be reversed, the queen must find a way to save her people and at the same time reveal to the king the true nature of the treacherous Haman. A well-done television drama, the program's familiar plot line had been used before for the features "Queen Esther" and "Esther and the King."