Based on the novel by George Moore, Esther Waters is the story of a mothers fight for the life of her illegitimate son. Depicting the life of a fallen woman and filmed with incredible accuracy and authenticity of Victorian culture this is a sad, moving touching and tremendously real story. Esther Waters (Kathleen Ryan) is a young woman living in 1880\'s London. Forced by her abusive stepfather to start work, she leaves school to become a servant in an aristocratic country household. There she falls in love with the handsome footman, William Latch (Dirk Bogarde), who seduces and then abandons her. Pregnant and alone, she s forced to return to London. With nothing but her meagre savings and no prospects of employment she struggles to survive and keep her baby alive. This is a tale of the strength of the human spirit in the face of great adversity.